JP2005065775A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a remote controller that is considered exclusive for a specific kind of portable electronic device and lacking versatility versatile. <P>SOLUTION: The remote controller comprises a flexible strap body 2 incorporating an input means 11 and a connecting member 4 to connect the strap body 2 and the portable electronic device 5, and has a plurality of input modes for the input means 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control device (remote control device) suitable for remotely operating a portable electronic device and inputting information via an electrical signal.

  Conventionally, it is known that a portable electronic device such as a portable cassette recorder is remotely operated by a remote control device. As such a remote control device, the present applicant has proposed an operation member provided on an exterior member having a string-like strap body having flexibility that can be applied to a portable audio device ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

  Further, the present applicant has proposed a neck-mounted type and a hand-held type remote control device capable of realizing excellent operability and downsizing of the strap body (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-258078 Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-060356

  However, the above-described conventional remote control device is dedicated for each type of portable electronic device, and has a problem that it is not versatile.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object thereof is to provide a remote control device having versatility.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the remote control device according to the present invention is characterized in that an input unit is incorporated and a strap body having flexibility, and a connection member for connecting the input unit of the strap body and a portable electronic device are provided. The input means has a plurality of input modes. And since such a structure is employ | adopted, since several input modes can be allocated according to a portable electronic device, versatility can be acquired easily.

  In the remote control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the input means is formed to be movable at least in the longitudinal direction of the strap body. By adopting such a configuration, the input operation position can be changed according to the preference of the operator.

  In the remote control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the input means has a large number of contacts arranged along the longitudinal direction of the strap body. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to easily and reliably obtain a plurality of input modes by setting the position and / or number of contacts used according to the portable electronic device. Further, by setting the position of the contact to be used, the position of the input means, that is, the input operation position can be easily and reliably provided at the position desired by the operator.

  In the remote control device of the present invention, the input means is formed so as to be indirectly operable by an operating member that covers a part of the strap body, and the operating member is at least in the longitudinal direction of the strap body. It is preferable that the operation mark is provided on the surface while being arranged so as to be movable along the surface. By adopting such a configuration, the operation member can prevent the input means from being contaminated, and can be easily cleaned or replaced by removing the operation member from the strap body. Furthermore, the mark can facilitate an input operation on the input means.

  In the remote control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the input means is provided on both front and back surfaces of the strap body. By adopting such a configuration, the input mode can be easily switched.

  According to the remote control device of the present invention, there are excellent effects such as having versatility that can be used for a plurality of types of portable electronic devices.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

  1 to 4 show an embodiment of a remote control device according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic external view, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged front view showing a simplified main part of an input operation unit, FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged front view showing the front side of the operating member in a simplified manner, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged front view showing the rear side of the operating member in a simplified manner.

  In the present embodiment, a portable electronic device is exemplified as a neck type that is used for operations of both a portable acoustic device and a mobile phone.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment includes a strap body 2, a connecting member 3 that connects the strap body 2 in an annular shape, and a connection cord 4 as a connecting member. A portable electronic device 5 is connected to the tip of the connection cord 4. Examples of the portable electronic device 5 include a portable audio device 5A such as a portable cassette tape player, a portable MD player, and a portable CD player, a cellular phone 5B, and a portable information terminal.

  An input operation unit 6 is provided on the left end side in FIG. 1, which is one end side of the strap body 2, so as to be adjacent to the connecting member 3, and an operation member 7 is provided on the surface of the input operation unit 6. It is installed. The input operation unit 6 may be provided on the other end side or both ends of the strap body 2.

  The strap body 2 is formed of a strip-like flexible film formed of an insulating material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PI (polyimide).

  The input operation unit 6 of the present embodiment has a large number of membrane switches 11 as input means, and the membrane contacts 11a which are the contacts of these membrane switches 11 are the extending direction of the strap body 2. FIG. Are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the longitudinal direction shown in the left-right direction. In other words, the input means has a large number of contacts arranged along the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2. The membrane switches 11 may be arranged in double rows along the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2. In FIG. 2, a part of the membrane contacts 11a of a number of membrane switches 11 is shown in a simplified manner.

  The membrane switch 11 presses the movable contact film on which the movable contact is disposed, and the pressing surface presses the movable contact against the fixed contact disposed on the fixed contact film via the notch portion of the spacer. It is configured to touch. Further, the membrane switch 11 is fixed so that both surfaces are sandwiched by a belt-like flexible film constituting the strap body 2, whereby the membrane switch 12 as an input means is incorporated in the strap body 2. Yes. Further, each membrane switch 11 is electrically connected to the connection cord 4 via the connecting member 3 by a conductor circuit (not shown) so that operation information on the membrane contact 11a can be transmitted to the portable electronic device 5. Is formed.

  In addition, as an input means, what is provided is a thing provided with many contacts and has flexibility as a whole.

  The operation member 7 is for indirectly operating the membrane switch 11 constituting the input means, and is formed of a flexible material such as cloth, resin, leather, or the like. The operation member 7 is mounted so as to cover a part of the strap body 2, in this embodiment, at least the input operation unit 6. The operation member 7 is held by the strap body 2 by sandwiching the strap body 2, and is formed to be shorter than the length of the strap body 2, and at least in the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2 as necessary. It is possible to move along. A mark 12 such as a symbol is provided on the outer surface of the operation member 7. The operation member 7 may be rotatable with respect to the strap body 2.

  The mark 12 is formed to correspond to a plurality of input modes. The mark 12 of the present embodiment is formed with a mark 12 necessary for an audio mode input operation on one side of the operation member 7 so as to correspond to two types of input modes, an audio mode and a telephone mode. A mark 12 necessary for the input operation in the telephone mode is formed on a certain back side. The setting of each input mode will be described later.

  The audio mode is for performing a remote control operation of a portable acoustic device 5A that is a kind of the portable electronic device 5. As the mark 12 used for the input operation in the audio mode, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition, it is formed by various input operations such as stop, reproduction, music feed, reverse music feed, and a plurality of first marks 12a representing the operation positions, and these first marks 12a are formed at a predetermined pitch. Are arranged on the surface side.

  The telephone mode is for performing a remote control operation of a mobile phone 5B, which is another type of the portable electronic device 5, and the mark 12 used for the input operation in the telephone mode is, for example, shown in FIG. In this way, it is formed by various input operations such as numerical values of 0 to 9 and a plurality of second marks 12b representing the operation positions, and these second marks 12b are formed on the back surface side of the operation member 7 at a predetermined pitch. It is arranged.

  The pitch of the first marks 12a and the pitch of the second marks 12b are different from each other.

  The operation member 7 is preferably detachable from the strap body 2 in the sense that the operation member 7 can be easily cleaned and replaced when it is contaminated. As a configuration in which the operation member 7 is attached to and detached from the strap body 2, the operation member 7 is formed in a flat plate shape, and an end portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2 is opened and closed by a fastener, a chuck, or the like. Examples include a configuration and a configuration in which the operation member 7 is attached to and detached from the strap main body 2 by removing the strap main body 2 from the connecting member 3 by forming it into a cylindrical shape that can expand and contract in the radial direction using a stretchable material.

  Further, there can be three or more input modes. In this case, a plurality of operation members 7 may be used.

  Operation information which is an operation signal sent from the membrane switch 11 as the input means of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment is transmitted to the control unit 5a of the portable electronic device 5 connected via the connection cord 4, and this The operation control of the portable electronic device 5 is performed based on the operation information. The control unit 5a of the portable electronic device 5 includes, for example, a CPU, a memory having an appropriate capacity ROM, a RAM, and the like. In the memory, a program for controlling the operation of the portable electronic device 5 based on at least operation information transmitted from the input means of the remote control device 1, an input mode and an operation position of the input means of the remote control device 1, etc. A program for setting and various data necessary for executing various programs are stored.

  As a program for setting the input mode and operation position of the input means of the remote control device 1, the initial mode of the remote control device 1, the input mode of the input means of the remote control device 1, and the contact patterns used in the input mode (many Among the membrane contacts 11a, the number of contacts used for use and the pitch) and the operation controlled by the contacts used can be exemplified.

  For example, the initial mode of the input mode of the input means is set to the audio mode so that the input means of the remote control device 1 can be used in the audio mode in advance, and all contact patterns used in the audio mode among the many membrane contacts 11a, In the embodiment, the number, the pitch, and the operation controlled by the contact point are set in advance so as to correspond to the first mark 12a formed on the outer surface of the operation member 7. By pressing the contacts, all contacts used in the audio mode and their positions are automatically set.

  In addition, when a contact other than the contact used as the starting point and the contact used in the audio mode is pressed, the input unit of the remote control device 1 is set to the telephone mode so that the input unit of the remote control device 1 can be used in the telephone mode. The second mark formed on the outer surface of the operation member 7 is the pattern of all the contacts used in the telephone mode among the many membrane contacts 11a, the number and pitch in this embodiment, and the operation controlled by the contacts. In addition to being set to correspond to 12b, all the contacts used in the telephone mode and their positions are automatically set.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, some membrane switches 11 are used as input means according to the type of the portable electronic device 5 and the like.

  It is to be noted that it is possible to associate the contact pattern (number, pitch, etc.) used in each input mode with the operation pattern controlled by each contact with the mark 12 formed on the outer surface of the operation member 7. This is preferable in that the operation at the time of setting can be simplified.

  Further, the membrane switch 11 as the input means may be provided on both the front and back surfaces of the strap body 2. For example, the input means used for the audio mode input operation shown in FIG. 3 can be provided on the front surface of the strap body 2, and the input means used for the telephone mode input operation shown in FIG. By adopting such a configuration, the input mode can be easily switched.

  Other configurations are the same as those of the conventional one, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the remote control device 1 according to the present embodiment is used by connecting a connection cord 4 to a portable electronic device 5.

  A setting operation when using the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment for the portable audio device 5A will be described.

  The setting operation of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment is provided on the surface side of the program and the operation member 7 mounted on the control unit 5a of the portable acoustic device 5A as the portable electronic device 5 connected to the connection cord 4. This is performed using the first mark 12a.

  First, the operator connects the connection cord 4 of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment to the portable acoustic device 5 </ b> A as the portable electronic device 5.

  Next, the operator moves the operation member 7 along the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2 and is formed on the front side of the operation member 7 shown in FIG. A plurality of first marks 12a are arranged at a preferred operation position.

  Next, the operator presses a predetermined mark, for example, a stop mark, among the plurality of first marks 12 a of the operation member 7. By pressing the stop mark, the membrane contact 11a disposed on the back surface of the stop mark is operated, and operation information as an operation signal is transmitted to the control unit 5a of the portable audio device 5A.

  Next, the control unit 5a of the portable audio device 5A that has received the operation signal sets the input mode of the input means to the audio mode that is a preset initial mode, and is a contact that is used in the audio mode among the many membrane contacts 11a. The control operation of the portable audio device 5A by the number, pattern, and pressing operation of each contact is automatically set so as to correspond to the plurality of first marks 12a formed on the operation member 7. At this time, by setting the position of the operation member 7 with respect to the strap body 2, the position of the membrane contact 11a used for the operation in the audio mode can be changed without changing the pattern. As a result, the input means used in the audio mode can be easily moved. That is, by moving the operation member 7 with respect to the strap body 2, the number and pattern of the membrane contacts 11 a used for the operation in the audio mode can be easily shifted along the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2.

  Note that the contacts used in the audio mode can be manually set by pressing each of the plurality of first marks 12a. However, it takes time for setting. The input mode can also be set by pressing each of the plurality of first marks 12a. That is, since the pitch of the first mark 12a is different from the pitch of the second mark 12b, the input mode can be determined and set based on the number of contacts used and / or the difference in pitch.

  Next, a setting operation when the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment is used for the mobile phone 5B will be described.

  The setting operation of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment is performed by a program mounted on the control unit 5a of the mobile phone 5B as the portable electronic device 5 connected to the connection cord 4 and the second provided on the back side of the operation member 7. This is done using the mark 12b.

  First, the operator is formed on the back surface side of the operation member 7 shown in FIG. 4 by an operation such as attaching / detaching the operation member 7 to / from the strap body 2 or half-rotating the operation member 7 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The plurality of second marks 12b are positioned so as to be on the front side in the viewing direction.

  Next, the operator connects the connection cord 4 of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment to the mobile phone 5B as the portable electronic device 5.

  Note that either the reversing operation of the operating member 7 or the connecting operation of the connecting cord 4 by the operator may be performed first.

  Next, the operator moves the operation member 7 along the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2 and is formed on the back side of the operation member 7 shown in FIG. A plurality of second marks 12b are arranged at a preferred operation position.

  Next, the operator presses a predetermined mark among the plurality of second marks 12 b of the operation member 7, for example, a numerical 0 mark. By pressing the 0 mark, the membrane contact 11a disposed on the back of the 0 mark is operated, and an operation signal (operation information) is transmitted to the control unit 5a of the mobile phone 5B. At this time, the control unit 5a of the mobile phone 5B sets the input mode of the input means as an audio mode that is a preset initial mode.

  Next, the operator presses another mark, for example, a 1 mark adjacent to the 0 mark. By pressing this one mark, the membrane contact 11a disposed on the back of the one mark operates, and an operation signal is transmitted to the control unit 5a of the portable acoustic device 5A. At this time, since the pitch between the first mark 12a and the second mark 12b is different, the membrane contact 11a at a position not used in the audio mode is operated by pressing one mark, and the cellular phone 5B is operated by an operation signal from this contact. The controller 5a determines that the input mode is the telephone mode, and sets the input means to the telephone mode. That is, the number of contacts used in the telephone mode, the pattern, and the control operation of the cellular phone 5B by the pressing operation of each contact among the many membrane contacts 11a correspond to the plurality of second marks 12b formed on the operation member 7. Set to automatically. At this time, by setting the position of the operation member 7 with respect to the strap body 2, the position of the membrane contact 11a used for the operation in the telephone mode can be made variable without changing the pattern. As a result, the input means used in the telephone mode can be easily moved. That is, by moving the operation member 7 with respect to the strap body 2, the number and pattern of the membrane contacts 11 a used for operation in the telephone mode can be easily shifted along the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2.

  It should be noted that the contacts used in the telephone mode can be manually set by pressing each of the plurality of second marks 12b.

  Therefore, many membrane switches 11 of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment function as input means in the audio mode and input means in the telephone mode. That is, the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment has a plurality of input means and has versatility that can be used for a plurality of types of portable electronic devices 5.

  According to the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, there are a plurality of membrane switches 11 as input means, and in this embodiment, there are two types of input modes, an audio mode and a telephone mode. The portable electronic device 5 can be assigned to a portable acoustic device 5A and a mobile phone 5B.

  Therefore, according to the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, versatility can be easily obtained.

  According to the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, the position of the membrane contact 11a used for the operation in each input mode can be made variable without changing the pattern by setting the position of the operation member 7 with respect to the strap body 2. As a result, the position of the input means used for the input operation can be easily moved, so that the input operation position can be easily changed according to the preference of the operator.

  According to the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, since the input means has a large number of membrane contacts 11a arranged along the longitudinal direction of the strap body 2, the contacts used in accordance with the portable electronic device 5 By setting the position and / or number, it is possible to easily and reliably obtain a plurality of input modes, and the position of the input means, that is, the input operation position is determined by the operator's preference by setting the position of the contact to be used. It can be easily and reliably provided at the position.

  According to the operation member 7 of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, contamination of the input means can be prevented, and cleaning or replacement can be easily performed by removing the operation member 7 from the strap body 2.

  According to the mark 12 of the operation member 7 of the remote control device 1 of this embodiment, the input operation to the input means can be facilitated.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various change is possible as needed. For example, it may be a hand-held type.

Schematic external view showing the main part of an embodiment of a remote control device according to the present invention The partially expanded front view which simplifies and shows the principal part of the input operation part of FIG. The partially enlarged front view which simplifies and shows the surface side of the operation member of FIG. The partially expanded front view which simplifies and shows the back surface side of the operation member of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote control device 2 Strap main body 3 Connecting member 4 Connection cord 5 Portable electronic device 5a Control part 5A Portable audio equipment 5B Portable telephone 6 Input operation part 7 Operation member 11 Membrane switch 11a Membrane contact 12 Mark 12a 1st mark 12b 2nd mark

Claims (5)

A remote control device having a strap body incorporating input means and having flexibility, and a connecting member for connecting the strap body and a portable electronic device,
A remote control device, wherein the input means has a plurality of input modes. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the input means is formed to be movable at least in the longitudinal direction of the strap body. 3. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit has a large number of contacts arranged along a longitudinal direction of the strap main body. The input means is formed so as to be indirectly operable by an operation member covering a part of the strap body,
The operation member is disposed so as to be movable along at least a longitudinal direction of the strap body, and an operation mark is provided on a surface thereof. The remote control device according to item 1. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is provided on both front and back surfaces of the strap body.