JPH02180497A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To widely improve operability when the type of an equipment to be used is switched and to omit a changeover switch by sending an equipment discriminating signal to discriminate the type of the equipment from the equipment to be controlled and discriminating this signal by remote control. CONSTITUTION:When a remote controller 10 is directed to an equipment 15 to be controlled, which is desired to be used, the equipment discriminating signal is sent from a transmission part 11 of the equipment 15 to be controlled and accordingly, this equipment discriminating signal is received by a reception part 26 of the remote controller 10. When the equipment discriminating signal is received in the reception part 26 of the remote controller 10, the type of the equipment to be controlled, which sends the equipment discriminating signal, is decided by a reception signal decision part 25 built in a control part 20. For example, when the equipment discriminating signal caught by the reception part 26 is a signal from a TV set, the equipment is decided as the TV set. The equipment is set by a controlled equipment set part 24 in correspondence to such a decided result and according to this equipment setting, a sending signal forming part 23 is automatically selected to form a sending signal correspondent to the equipment.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a remote control unit that sends remote control signals to a plurality of controlled devices;
This device relates to a remote control device equipped with a receiving unit installed in each controlled device to receive the transmitted remote control signal and operate the controlled device, and in particular improves operability when switching controlled devices. Regarding.

"Prior Art" With the spread of various electronic devices, the number of remote control units (hereinafter referred to as remote controls) held by users has increased, and when operating any of the electronic devices,
Operation must begin by selecting a remote control. Also,
This requires multiple remote controllers to be placed around the user, which is inconvenient in terms of usability.

For this reason,? 2. Description of the Related Art Remote controllers called system remote controllers or multifunctional remote controllers that can send remote control signals to U number of electronic devices have been developed. Hereinafter, this remote control will simply be referred to as a remote control or a system remote control.

Conventionally, this type of remote control, as shown in Figure 2, first
A switch 1 was provided to select the model to be used, such as a television (TV), video tape recorder (VTR), laser disc player (LDP), etc., and switch 1 was set to select the model to be used. There is one in which a remote control signal corresponding to the selected model is sent out by operating the human power section 2 (FIG. 2(a)). According to this, the key human power section 2 can be shared by all models.

In addition, instead of sharing the key power section, key power sections 2a, 2b, 2c, etc. are provided for each model of use, and by operating the key power section assigned to the model to be used, Some are designed to send remote control signals corresponding to the selected model (see Figure 2).
b)).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, according to the above-mentioned conventional remote control, those equipped with a changeover switch have a structural problem that the switch must be provided on the remote control, and also have problems every time the model is changed. The disadvantage was that the user had to switch between switch and switch on the remote control side each time, making the operation complicated.

In addition, if a key power section is provided for each model used, although the operation of switching switches is eliminated, the key power section is required for each model used, which leads to structural problems such as an unavoidable increase in size. In addition, there was a drawback that a key manual assigned to a different model could be operated by mistake.

An object of the present invention is to emit a model discrimination signal from a controlled device, use a remote control to discriminate the signal, and automatically set the device, thereby overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art described above.
To provide a remote control device which is accurate in operation, does not become complicated, and has a simple structure when changing the model used.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a remote control system that can accurately select the desired controlled device without being affected by controlled devices other than the model being used, even if the controlled devices are installed in close proximity. The goal is to provide equipment.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention includes a remote controller that sends remote control signals to a plurality of controlled devices, and a remote controller that is provided in each controlled device and receives the sent remote control signals to control the controlled devices. In a remote control device comprising a receiving unit to be operated, each of the controlled devices is provided with a transmitting section that sends a device-specific device discrimination signal capable of identifying the controlled device to the receiving section of the remote control;
The remote control includes a receiving section that receives the device discrimination signal sent from the transmitting section of the controlled device, and a remote control signal corresponding to the configured device by determining the received device discrimination signal and configuring the device. It is configured by providing means for transmitting the information.

In order to avoid interference with nearby devices, the remote control includes a guide in the receiving section of the remote control that spatially captures the device discrimination signal transmitted from the transmitting section of the controlled device and guides it to the receiving section. It is desirable to provide one.

In addition, for the same reason as mentioned above, the remote control is equipped with an optical system that focuses the device discrimination signal transmitted from the transmitter of the controlled device in the receiver of the remote controller, and focuses the signal on the receiver to form an image. It is also possible to set the controlled device to be controlled based on the position of the image.

[Controlled machine you want to use?] When you point the remote control at the target, a device identification signal is being sent from the transmitting section of the controlled device.
This device identification signal is received by the receiver of the remote control.

When the device discrimination signal is received by the receiver of the remote control, the controlled device that sent the discrimination signal to the device 2 is determined, and the device is set according to the determination result.

With this device setting, a remote control signal appropriate for the device is automatically selected.

Therefore, a transmission signal for the option control device corresponding to the key signal from the key input section provided in the remote control is sent to the transmitting section, and a remote control signal is transmitted from the transmitting section to the controlled device.

If a guide is provided in the receiving section of the remote control, among the device discrimination signals transmitted from the transmitting sections of multiple controlled devices in close proximity, the controlled device to which the guide of the remote control is correctly directed is determined. Only the device discrimination signal from the remote controller is captured by the guide and guided to the receiver of the remote control.

In this way, the directivity of the receiving section is enhanced by the guide, so even if multiple controlled devices are installed in close proximity, device identification signals other than those of the model being used will not enter the receiving section of the remote control. , so there is no interference.

In addition, if the receiver of the remote control is equipped with an optical system, among the device discrimination signals transmitted from the transmitters of multiple controlled devices in close proximity, the signal from the controlled device to which the remote control is accurately directed Only the device discrimination signal is focused and imaged at the proper position of the receiver of the remote control, and the device discrimination signals from other controlled devices are imaged at a location away from the proper position of the receiver.

Therefore, by determining the position of the image formed on the receiving section, the signal for each device 1'll from the controlled device that you want to use can be specified, so even if multiple controlled devices are installed close to each other, , the device identification signal will not be mistakenly identified as a device other than the model being used.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 4.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the remote control device of the present invention.

The remote control 10 is above the dashed line, and the controlled device 1 is below the line.
5 is shown. In this embodiment, the controlled device 15 is provided with a transmitter 11 to transmit a device identification signal for each model, and the remote controller 10 is provided with a receiver 26 to determine the model to which the remote controller 10 is directed. A remote control signal corresponding to the model is sent out by operating the key manual section 21.

The controlled device I5 that is the target here is, for example, a TV, VT
Electronic devices such as R and LDP are common, but are not limited to these.

The receiving unit 14 of the controlled device 15 includes a receiving section 12 that receives a remote control signal sent from the transmitting section 27 of the remote controller 10, and a control unit that outputs signals for operating each part of the device in response to the received remote control signal. 13. The control section 13 is provided with a transmitting section 11 that sends out a device discrimination signal capable of discriminating the model of the controlled device 15 based on the control of the control section 13 . The device identification signal is a model-specific signal that is sent out continuously or at regular intervals.

On the other hand, the remote control 10 includes a control section 20 that controls the entire system, a human power section 21 that instructs the sending of remote control signals, and a transmitting section 27 that sends remote control signals to the external controlled device 15. We are prepared.

The keys of the key manual unit 21 are shared and have different functions depending on the model. For example, when operating as a TV remote control, the keys that function as channel up/down are
When working as a remote control, it is designed to function as a fast forward, one rewind, etc.

Further, the control unit 20 includes at least a receiving unit 26 that uses a light receiving unit to receive the device discrimination signal sent from the transmitting unit 11 of the controlled device 15, and a received signal determining unit that determines the received device discrimination signal. 25, a controlled device setting section 24 that configures the device according to the determination result, and a controlled device setting section 24 that forms a transmission signal according to the device according to the device setting,
A transmission signal forming section 23 is provided which transmits a transmission signal corresponding to the key signal from the key human power section 21 to the transmission section 27 .

The device type' set by the controlled device setting section 24 is displayed on the display section 22 via the control section 22. As the display unit 22, a liquid crystal panel that directly displays the type of device using characters, symbols, etc., a light emitting diode that indirectly displays the type of device depending on the lighting position, or the like is suitable.

Next, the operation of the above-described configuration will be explained.

When you point the remote control 10 at the controlled device 15 you want to use,
Since the device discrimination signal is sent from the transmitting section 11 of the controlled device 15, this device discrimination signal is received by the receiving section 26 of the remote control 10.

When the device discrimination signal is received by the receiving section 26 of the remote control 10, the received signal determining section 2 built in the control section 20
In step 5, the model of the controlled device that sent the device identification signal is determined. For example, if the device identification signal captured by the receiving unit 26 is a signal from a TV, it is determined to be a TV. The controlled device setting unit 24 sets the device according to this determination result, and the device setting automatically selects the sending signal forming portion 23 that forms the sending signal corresponding to the device. The setting result is displayed on the display unit 22, and the displayed content is, for example, TV.

Therefore, a transmission signal for the selected controlled device corresponding to the key signal from the key human power section 21 is sent from the control section 20 to the transmitting section 27 of the remote controller 10, and the transmitting section 27 sends the remote control to the controlled device 15. A signal is sent.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, the controlled device 15
The device outputs a signal for identifying the model, and the remote controller 10 detects this signal to automatically set the model to be used.By simply pointing the remote controller 10 at the device 15, you can output a remote control signal for the device. Therefore, there is no need to operate a changeover switch every time the model used is changed, so a changeover switch becomes unnecessary. Furthermore, since the model to be used can be automatically set, there is no need to prepare a key for each model to be used, the key of the key manual unit 21 can be shared, and the key manual unit 21 can be downsized.

In addition, since the key power section is shared, there is no possibility of accidentally operating a key power section assigned to a different model.

By the way, especially when the controlled equipment is an electronic equipment such as a TV, VTR, LDP, etc., these devices are usually placed close to each other for ease of use. in this case,
Each of these devices transmits a unique device identification signal, but since they are close to each other, unless the remote control's directivity is increased, interference may occur or a model other than the one being used may be selected. It is expected that this problem will occur.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show an embodiment of a remote control that solves this problem.

In FIG. 3, in the receiving section 30 (light receiving section) of the remote control 1O,
A guide 31 is provided to improve the directivity of the receiving section 30. The guide 31 is connected to the controlled devices T V and V T
A device discrimination signal transmitted from a transmitter such as R is spatially captured and guided to the receiver 30.

In the illustrated example, the guide 31 is configured as a conical horn, but the cone angle is preferably within 5° in order to sharpen the directivity characteristics. Furthermore, although the horn is provided protrudingly outside the remote controller 10, it may be provided recessed within the remote controller 10. Note that other means may be used as long as they have the function of increasing directivity.

When the guide 31 is provided in the receiving section 30 of the remote controller 10 in this way, the remote controller 10
Only the device discrimination signal from the controlled device 15 to which the guide 31 is accurately directed is captured by the guide 31 and guided to the receiving section 30 of the remote controller 10 while being converged.

In this way, the directivity of the receiving section is enhanced by the guide 31, so even if a plurality of controlled devices are installed in close proximity, the remote controller 1
It never enters the receiving section 30.

Therefore, even if two electronic devices are placed close to each other, since the remote controller has high directivity, problems such as interference or setting a model other than the one being used will not occur.

In FIG. 4, an optical system 4, such as a lens, is provided on the light receiving section of the receiving section 40 of the remote control 10 to focus the device discrimination signal transmitted from the transmitting section +1 of the controlled device 15, and the light is focused on the receiving section 40. The device is configured to identify the controlled device to be controlled from the position of the formed image.

In this way, when the optical system 41 is provided in the receiving section 40 of the remote controller 10, the remote controller 1
Only the device discrimination signal from the controlled device to which 0 is correctly directed is focused and imaged at the center position of the receiving section 40 of the remote control 10, and the device discrimination signals from other controlled devices are focused on the receiving section 40. The image is formed at a location away from the center of the image.

Therefore, by determining the position of the image formed on the receiving unit 40, the device identification signal from the controlled device that you want to use can be specified. The device identification signal other than the model is the remote control 10.
will not be captured.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, in the remote control device of claim 1 characterized by the following effects, the device to be controlled is caused to transmit a device discrimination signal for discriminating the model, and this is discriminated by the remote control. automatically selects the remote control signal that corresponds to the model you are using.
By making it possible to send data, the operability when changing the model used is greatly improved, and the changeover switch can be omitted.
Since the number of keys can be reduced by sharing the key manual section, the operation is accurate and the structure is simplified.

In the remote control device according to claim 2, even if the controlled devices are arranged close to each other, since there is a guide, the controlled device that you want to use can be accurately controlled without being affected by unselected controlled devices. You can choose.

In the remote control device of claim 3, even if the controlled devices are disposed close to each other, since the optical system is provided, the desired controlled device can be accurately controlled without being affected by unselected controlled devices. can be selected.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a first embodiment of the remote controller according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a second embodiment of the remote controller according to the present invention.

10 +! Remote control unit (remote control)
, 11 is a transmitting section of a controlled device, 12 is a receiving section of a controlled device, 15 is a controlled device, 21 is a key human power section, 23 is a sending signal forming section, 24 is a controlled device setting section, and 25 is a receiving signal 26 is a receiving section of the remote controller, 27 is a transmitting section of the remote controller, 31 is a guide, and 41 is an optical system.

Applicant: NEC Home Electronics Co., Ltd.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A remote consisting of a remote control unit that sends remote control signals to multiple controlled devices, and a receiving unit installed in each controlled device that receives the sent remote control signals and operates the controlled devices. In the control device, the receiving unit of each of the controlled devices is provided with a transmitting section that sends out a unique device identification signal that can identify the controlled device, and the remote control unit is provided with a transmitting section that sends out a unique device identification signal that can identify the controlled device. and a means for transmitting a remote control signal according to the configured device by determining the received device determining signal and configuring the device. remote control device. (2) In the receiving section of the above remote control unit,
2. The remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide that spatially captures a remote control signal transmitted from a transmitter of the controlled device and guides the signal to the light receiver. (3) In the receiving section of the above remote control unit,
An optical system is provided to focus a remote control signal transmitted from a transmitter of the controlled device, and the controlled device to be controlled is identified from the position of an image focused on the receiver. The remote control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: