WO2012089710A1

WO2012089710A1 - Infrared remote control system

Info

Publication number: WO2012089710A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/074052
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juan José ANDRÉS GUTIÉRREZ; Rodrigo GONZÁLEZ MARTÍNEZ; Juan MARTÍNEZ CASAIS
Original assignee: Telefonica SA
Current assignee: Telefonica SA
Priority date: 2010-12-28
Filing date: 2011-12-26
Publication date: 2012-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2013-06-28
Also published as: AR084617A1; ES2388096B1; ES2388096A1

Abstract

It comprises: - a portable wireless processing device (1) for transmitting, to a wireless access point (2), first RF signals containing control data for controlling one or more appliances (4a, 4b) having respective IR receivers; - a wireless access point (2) for receiving said first RF signals and generating therefrom second RF signals containing control data and transmitting them to a RF-IR transceiver, and - a RF-IR transceiver (3) for receiving said second RF signals, generating IR command signals there from and transmitting said IR command signals the IR receiver of one or more of the appliances (4a, 4b) in order to control them. The wireless access point (2) is a manager computing device having access to a remote updated IR code manufacturer database (5) for downloading updated IR codes and for using them by their inclusion into said second RF signals.

Description

Infrared remote control system

Field of the art

The present invention generally relates to an infrared remote control system, allowing the control of one or more appliances from a portable wireless processing device, such as a smart phone, and more particularly to a system which includes a manager computing device with capabilities for receiving ad transmitting RF signals, and having access to a remote database for downloading updated infrared codes. Prior State of the Art

InfraRed Technology (IR) technology for remoting control of home appliances is an extended and consolidated technology. Most of the implementations use a dedicated IR remote controller for each appliance (TV, Video, DVD, etc.), and each remote can only be used for controlling a single appliance. The specific codes and frequencies used in the IR transmission are absolutely incompatible.

Figure 1 illustrates one of said implementations which relates to the most common scenario for IR remote controlling.

Manufactures are trying to build universal IR remote controllers proposing the use of a single IR remote for all different appliances, using different methods:

- Programmable IR remote. This means that the IR remote can be configured by the user selecting one of the pre stored devices proposed by manufacturer. Once set the desired device up, the IR remote can only be used with the selected appliance.

Multi device IR remote. It works like "all in one device", allowing the user to select the desired device to control by pressing the selection keys (TV, DVD, Satellite, HiFi). Once selected the device, the IR remote works only with the selected device. An example of such a scenario is depicted in Figure 2.

- Multi device programmable IR remote. Both of the previous features can be mixed in only one IR remote, allowing the user to configure the collection of appliances to be controlled.

Next two patents disclose infrared remote control systems with remote control devices connectable via cable to distributing means for receiving updated control codes. US5228077, which discloses a universal remote control system which includes a universal remote control comprising a data transmission system for coupling a telephone line to a receiving port of said remote control whereby code data can be supplied to a memory of said remote control via a telephone line, in order to upgrade the codes stored therein for creating corresponding infrared signals.

US5410326 concerns to a universal remote control device which is programmed to operate a variety of consumer products is disclosed. The device is connected over a bidirectional link to either a cable converter or a telephone interface for receiving programming information. Infrared codes for operating a virtually unlimited number of devices can be supplied to the device over the bidirectional communications link.

Another patent which discloses a system providing means for upgrading the control codes of a remote control device is US5341 166, which relates to a control system that can be configured to control any one or more devices having dedicated sets of control codes and that includes a decoder and a medium to distribute updated control codes to the decoder. The distribution medium is preferably a VCR tape, but for other implementations of said system some other available medium can be used, such as data which is present within the vertical blanking interval of a television signal broadcast from a particular station or transmitted over the cable network.

There are other proposals which integrate an infrared remote control system into different networks, local and/or external, wirelessly or by cable. Next two patent documents disclose two of said proposals, none of them describing any control codes updating process:

US2009136231 discloses a remote controlling system for controlling a plurality of electronic appliances within a space, such as a home, an office, etc. Each of the electronic appliances includes a respective radiation-based signal receiver. By use of the remote controlling system, a user can conveniently control the electronic appliances in the situation through a user interface or an external communication network, such as an Internet.

EP1 166248 discloses a remote-control system for controlling a plurality of devices located in different rooms of a structure and areas in the vicinity of the structure comprising: at least one user operated controller for generating wireless command signals encoding data; a control unit for each of the plurality of devices that receives wireless command signals generated by the at least one controller and controls a device responsive to data in a wireless command signal that it receives; a wireless communications network comprising at least one transceiver that transmits wireless command signals from one side to the other of a wall of the structure; wherein the at least one controller transmits command signals that are routed to a control unit of a device of the plurality of devices through the at least one transceiver.

Nowadays, taking advantage of the smart phone features, like connectivity and interaction capabilities, new inventions related to remote controlling are available in the market.

The smart phone is the element which the user interacts with. The smart phone is connected to the home network via RF technology (like WiFi), which enables the connectivity with other home network devices via a network element (like a WiFi access point). Another element, connected to the home network, acting as transceiver between

RF and IR, enables the communication with the home appliance via IR. A software application installed in the smart phone emulates the functionality of a conventional IR remote control. The final result is that the user can use his smart phone as a remote to control for home appliances in a conventional way.

There are some commercial products in the market with this philosophy like

RedEye® by ThinkFlow© that allows the user to use his iphone© as a remote controller.

Further information can be seen at http://redeyeremote.com and http://thinkflood.com

Figure 3 illustrates the scenario implementing such a system using a smart phone for IR remote control through a WiFi home network, said system including a wireless access point which receives RF signals form the smart phone and send corresponding

RF signals to a RF-IR transceiver which generates IR command signals therefrom and sends them to the appliance to control.

RedEye© system also allows a user to connect to a remote database to download infrared control codes, but in this case said connection is made through the smart phone which must have the required capabilities for that purpose, as is the case of

Iphone©. Simpler mobile phones without said capabilities can not be used in RedEye© system if a codes updating is necessary.

The wireless access point which can be used in RedEye© system has no additional functions to the ones a conventional wireless access point has, particularly it does not provide means for connecting to said remote database. As for the RF-IR transceiver is concerned, the one of RedEye© can upgrade the infrared control codes stored in a memory therein by means of a conventional learning process, i.e. by reading signals directly sent by an updated control device, in this case by the smart phone, once the latter has updated said control codes. The fact that, in RedEye©, the control codes updating is dependant on the type of smart phone used, particularly only valid for high rank smart phones, prevents said proposal from being universal. Description of the Invention

It is necessary to offer an alternative to the state of the art which covers the gaps found therein, particularly those found in the closest prior art represented by the above described RedEye© product, which has the drawbacks of requiring the user of the mobile phone, first to have a smart phone with enough capabilities, such as the Iphone©, and second to request for updated control codes to a remote database by manually handling a user application installed in said smart phone.

To that end, the present invention provides an infrared remote control system, comprising:

- a portable wireless processing device for transmitting, to a wireless access point, first RF signals containing control data for controlling one or more appliances having a IR receiver;

- a wireless access point for at least receiving said first RF signals and generating therefrom second RF signals containing control data and transmitting them to a RF-IR transceiver, and

- a RF-IR transceiver for receiving said second RF signals, generating IR command signals there from and transmitting said IR command signals to said IR receiver of one or more appliances in order to control them.

On contrary to known proposals, particularly to the one concerning the above described system RedEye, the wireless access point of the system of the present invention is a manager computing device having access to a remote updated IR code manufacturer database for downloading the updated IR codes for controlling said one or more appliances and for using said updated IR codes by including them into said second RF signals.

By carrying out the control codes updating by means of the referred manager computing device, a universal system is provided which allows the use of any portable wireless processing device, from the simpler to the more complex ones, without requiring the user of said device to worry about said updating.

For an embodiment, said manager computing device has, stored in a memory, a set of IR codes for the control of a plurality of appliances, said updated IR codes downloading updating said set of stored IR codes. For another embodiment, the manager computing device is intended for, after receiving the first RF signals, downloading the updated IR codes and generating the second RF signals from the first RF signals and from the downloaded updated IR codes.

For still another embodiment, complementary or alternative to the above two embodiments, the manager computing device is intended for carrying out said updated IR codes downloading automatically at predetermined times or periodically.

The manager computing device is connected, for an embodiment, to the remote updated IR code manufacturer database through Internet, although the use of any other communication network for that purpose is also feasible.

The manager computer device, apart from connecting to the IR codes database, is, for some embodiments, a gateway providing communications between the remote updated IR code manufacturer database, the RF-IR transceiver and a user application installed in each of the portable wireless processing devices providing a user interface for managing the control of appliances.

For another embodiment, the infrared remote control system of the present invention comprises one or more remote computing devices connected to said manager computer device for at least transmitting signals containing control data for controlling one or more appliances having a IR receiver.

Said gateway provides communications between a user application installed in each of said remote computing devices, providing a user interface for managing the control of appliances, and the rest of elements connected to the gateway.

The gateway has, for an embodiment, programmable automatic capabilities for generating the second RF signals at scheduled times without the requirement of receiving the first RF signals.

The gateway comprises, as per an embodiment, a display through which provides a graphic user interface for a user to configure his preferences such as frequency and scheduling, by accessing said programmable automatic capabilities.

Regarding the said RF-IR transceiver, for an embodiment it comprises a plurality of infrared light emitting diodes mounted on a support according to an annular distribution such that their combined emissions provide a coverage of 360 degrees, said support having, preferably, mounting means for its mounting on a ceiling such that the support face where said infrared LEDs are mounted on remains substantially horizontal.

Each of said infrared LEDs is preferably mounted on said support with an inclination between 50 and 65 degrees with respect to an horizontal axis which is perpendicular to its focal axis. According to an embodiment, the RF-IR transceiver is also intended for controlling the operation of one or more electrical devices, such as a lamp, according to instructions received within third RF signals sent by the manager computing device automatically or upon receiving signals sent by any of the wireless portable processing devices and/or by any of the remote computing devices. A home automation system is thus provided, combined with an infrared remote control system.

The RF-IR transceiver is intended for controlling the operation of said one or more electrical devices by controlling the electrical supply thereof directly, without sending any IR signal, and/or indirectly by sending a corresponding IR signal to a IR receiver controlling said device electrical supply.

The proposed invention allows the user to control remotely, via a connected device (smart phone, PDA, internet tablet, PC, etc.) any home device (present and future), placed in any room, using conventional IR technology, as if he were using the IR remote supplied with the device.

This invention allows to remotely access to the home devices in order to control them via IR. Also "scenes" may be programmed as a sequence of actions with a set of devices. Example: recording TV programs using a DVD Recorder remotely controlled by IR. Time referred sequences may be scheduled, e.g. at 23:00 turning off devices in the living room (TV, DVD) and turning off living room lights. Also complex "scenes" may be programmed, e.g. turning on the DVD, turning on the TV, and lowering the illumination.

Summing up, this invention can control all kind of devices via infrared commands using a computer, a mobile phone, etc, even through outside home. The invention also allows programming a personal video recorder independently of the model and manufacturer, and if the user is at home or outside home.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The previous and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings (some of which have already been described in the Prior State of the Art section), which must be considered in an illustrative and non-limiting manner, in which:

Figure 1 shows the most common conventional scenario for IR remote controlling;

Figure 2 shows a conventional device scenario for IR remote controlling;

Figure 3 shows a prior art infrared remote control system which provides the using of a smart phone for IR remote control through a WiFi home network; Figure 4 illustrates the infrared remote control system of the invention, for an embodiment;

Figure 5 shows the system of the invention for the same embodiment of Figure 4, but by means of a detailed diagram illustrating the inner modules forming said elements;

Figure 6 shows two consecutive separated infrared frames processed by the RF-

IR transceiver RC of the system of the invention to emit them through infrared LEDs to control an appliance;

Figure 7 schematically illustrates an infrared LED mounted on a PCB support of the RF-IR transceiver of the system of the invention, for an embodiment for which said LED is mounted inclined 60^e with respect to said PCB;

Figure 8 depicts a mounting embodiment for the RF-IR transceiver of the system of the invention, where said transceiver is fixed to a room ceiling such that the infrared LEDs emit light downwards;

Figure 9 shows a schematic plan view of the RF-IR transceiver of the system of the invention for an embodiment where the infrared LEDs are arranged according to an annular distribution;

Figure 10 shows, by means of a works flow diagram, a use case of the system of the invention related to the control of appliances from a computer outside home through Internet; and

Figure 1 1 shows, also by means of a works flow diagram, another use case of the system of the invention related to the control of appliances using a mobile phone under the local coverage of the Residential Gateway.

Detailed Description of Several Embodiments

Figure 4 shows the system of the invention for an embodiment comprising the next elements:

- a wireless mobile smart phone 1 transmitting WiFi signals;

- a gateway 2, also indicated as RG (Residential Gateway), receiving said WiFi signals and generating therefrom corresponding RF signals; and

- a RF-IR transceiver 3, also indicated as RC (Remote Controller), for receiving the RF signals sent by the gateway 2 and generating and sending IR command signals to the IR receivers of appliances 4a, 4b in order to control it;

- a remote updated IR code manufacturer database 5 to which gateway 2 is connected through Internet for downloading the updated IR codes for controlling the appliances 4a, 4b; and - a remote computing device 6 connected to gateway 2 for controlling appliances 4a, 4b there through and/or for communicating with the rest of elements of the system.

The main elements of the invention are:

- The remote Code Manufacturer Database 5 (IR DB), always updated, assures the availability of IR codes of any existing device, present and future.

- The manager (device controller or DC), running in a device with process capabilities like a Residential Gateway 2 (RG), assures the proper communication among the IR DB 5, the user application (installed in the smart phone 1 ) and the RF - IR transceiver 3. The manager also includes a web interface to configure and manage the system.

- The intelligent RF - IF transceiver 3 (RC) allows manage a wide range of IR frequencies compatibles with any available remote.

- The 360^e IR Emitter is a new design that goes beyond the IR angle limitations, allowing to control devices 4a, 4b sited in any place of a room.

- The application (Control Application) installed in the smart phone 2 (or similar device) provides a user interface and controls all the communications with the Manager (built-in the residential gateway 2).

- The protocols to communicate the IR database 5 with the RC module 3 through the Manager component (DC running in the RG 2). These protocols define the transmission required by the RC 3 in order to correctly control all home devices 4a, 4b, e.g. carrier frequency, command structure, command information, pulse information, etc.

Additional functionalities may be added to the system:

Computer 6 is an external element that allows the user to configure remotely the system and to remote control all home devices 4a, 4b through Internet or the home network using a web interface built-in the RG 2.

- User may customize the remote control process, adding and removing devices to be controlled, selecting the look and feel, programming short keys or "macros" to do a sequence of actions, etc.

- The system can be used to program "scenes". A scene is a set of orders to be executed sequentially, e.g. turning on the DVD, turning on the TV, and lowering the illumination. Also time referred sequences may be scheduled, e.g. at 23:00 turning off devices in the living room (TV, DVD) and turning off living room lights.

Figure 5 shows the system of the invention for the same embodiment of Figure 4, but by means of a detailed diagram illustrating the inner modules forming said elements. Shady areas are particularly provided or designed for implementing the system of the present invention.

According to Figure 5, the system comprises the following elements:

1 . Computer 6. The computer, usually a laptop or a personal computer is the element where users can control home devices through Internet. 2. Code Manufacturer Database 5. This database storages all infrared codes for every manufacturer and model. If the system needs a determined code to control a device the residential gateway 2 can obtain this code from this database 5. It allows an automatic programming of all devices 4a, 4b without forcing the user to program the remote control for each device.

3. Mobile Phone 1 . A mobile phone equipped with: a. A radio frequency (RF) module compatible with the one built-in the residential gateway. b. Control Application. This software is in charge of control all devices 4a, 4b in the room. It provides the user interface and the control software to communicate with the residential gateway 2. esidential Gateway 2. It is a home networking device used to connect other devices in the home network, allowing the operator to deploy services on its embedded operating system. Thanks to this module, home automation control process can be performed automatically, without requiring the user attention, like programming a VCR, etc. a. Settings. This module has been designed for the proposed invention. It provides a graphic user interface (GUI) where the user is able to configure his preferences such as frequency and scheduling. b. Device controller (DC). This module has been designed for the proposed invention. It is in charge of the RC control, i.e. it is the responsible of sending the right orders to the infrared hardware designed (see below) in order to control all devices 4a, 4b through infrared commands. c. RF module. It allows wireless communication with the residential gateway 2. This module can implement standard radio systems, such as WiFi, or a proprietary system that optimizes the cost and consumption d. Web interface. This component represents the user interface for managing the system. he RC module 3 converts the commands received via the radio system

(such as WiFi, Bluetooth, etc) into the appropriate frames in order to control infrared devices 4a, 4b such as DVD, TV, etc. The command contains information of the carrier frequency of the infrared and the whole frame to transmit through the infrared system. For an embodiment, the RC module 3 is placed between the power supply of a ceiling lamp and the lamp. This module 3 is, for an embodiment, in charge of switching the lamp on and off by remote control. Moreover, with this system dimmer feature are provided to the lamp. The power switch of the lamp has to be switched on in order to enable this functionality. Power supply. It contains the converter voltage to the voltage required for the properly operation of the other submodules. The power supply has an electronic switch for on/off functions (even dimmer functions) of the lamp to which is attached. The module is placed between the ceiling and the lamp. The power switch of the lamp should be always on. The module is active continuously and it is this module which is in charge to turns the lamp on or off by the remote control.

RF submodule. It allows wireless communication with the residential gateway 2. It receives the commands to be converted by the IR controller to infrared commands. This module can implement standard radio systems, such as WiFi, or a proprietary system that optimizes the cost and consumption. The commands received contain information similar to: "FFRRPPPPNNN EEAAEEAAEEAA". In which: i. FF byte for selecting the frequency between 256 possibilities that the infrared carrier contains. ii. RR number of times that the infrared frame has to be repeated. iii. PPPP time (in 100 multiples of microseconds), that it is necessary to wait until the frame is repeated just in case RR>1 iv. NNN Number of pulses in the frame. v. EE time (in multiples of 10 microseconds) that an "ON" pulse should be sent in order to switch on the LED. A data pair per pulse which has to switch on the IR LED is received with the value of the pulse length. vi. AA time (in 10 multiples of microseconds) that an "OFF" pulse should be sent in order to switch off the LED. A data pair per pulse which has to switch off the IR LED is received with the value of the pulse length. c. IR controller submodule. Composed of several infrared-emitting diodes (eight diodes D1 -D8 for the embodiment of Figure 9) distributed on a support S, in such a way that a 360 degree coverage is achieved so it can reach all devices 4a, 4b in the room in order to control them. It contains a programmable carrier generator from 28 kHz to 455 KHz and a command interpreter to generate the wave envelope corresponding to the command received through the RF sub-module (see Figure 6 for an example of two consecutive generated infrared frames). Infrared LEDs D1 - D8 are placed (depending on the LED type) with an inclination between 65 and 50 degrees with respect to support S, or PCB (see Figure 7). So with diodes with a radiation angle of 34 degrees they should be mounted with an inclination of 60° with respect to the plane parallel to a room ceiling, where said support S is mounted on said room ceiling. Thus, with a vertical distance of 2 meters from the ceiling, it would give a horizontal coverage by each LED from 0.5 meters to 2 meters (16 square meters in total), as shown in Figure 8.

Following, the system operation is described for the two embodiments illustrated by Figures 10 and 1 1 , in the form of respective work flows. According to Figure 10, there is shown a work flow carried out for controlling devices outside home through Internet, from computer 6, by following the next steps sequentially:

1 . The user of computer 6 wants to control his devices 4a, 4b outside home using internet. He asks the Residential Gateway 2 for the User Interface using an Internet Browser.

2. The RG 2 provides the web user interface to the user. The user programs the functionality he wants the device 4a, 4b to do, e.g. record a movie at a specific time or whatever function the user likes.

RG 2 asks for the proper infrared codes to the external database 5.

The external database 5 provides the right code and RG 2 checks user preferences with the Settings module.

RG 2 sends a command to the RC controller 3. Settings module informs device controller DC how to use a particular device in order to control it using the infrared controller.

RC 3 sends the proper IR command to its internal IR controller.

IR controller sends a command to the device 4a or 4b (indicated in Figure 10 as Device n) in order to control it.

According to Figure 1 1 , there is shown a work flow carried out for controlling devices using mobile phone 1 , by following the next steps sequentially:

1 . Mobile phone 1 is paired with the RG 2 using RF (Bluetooth, WiFi or whatever RF technology).

2. RG 2 asks for the proper infrared code to the external database 5. 3. The external database 5 provides the right code and RG 2 checks user preferences with the Settings module.

4. RG 2 send a command to the RC controller 3. Settings module informs device controller DC how to use a particular device in order to control it using the infrared controller.

5. RC 3 send the proper IR command to its internal IR controller

6. IR controller sends a command to the device 4a, 4b (indicated in Figure 1 1 as Device n) in order to be controlled. Although in Figures 10 and 1 1 , RC 3 and IR Controller are shown as separated elements, as can be seen in Figure 5, the latter is an internal element of the RC 3.

Advantages of the Invention

This invention provides the following features:

1 . Remote control of all IR devices, existing at present and future. The system of the invention is permanently remotely updated and never obsolete.

2. Home devices remote programming. The invention allows to remotely access to home devices in order to control them via IR. Also "scenes" may be programmed as a sequence of actions with a set of devices. Example: recording TV programs using a DVD Recorder remotely controlled by IR.

3. The system of the invention operates at any carrier frequency used for remote IR controlling. This assures the compatibility with any existing devices at present and future.

4. The IR remote emitter is designed to reach any device in a room. The invention goes beyond angle limitations of conventional remote controllers.

5. Automatic schedules. Time referred sequences may be scheduled, e.g. at 23:00 turning off devices in the living room (TV, DVD) and turning off living room lights. Also complex "scenes" may be programmed, e.g. turning on the DVD, turning on the TV, and lowering the illumination.

6. Home security. The invention allows to provide security services such as lights control when houses are not occupied, e.g. on holidays time.

7. Flexible and customizable system. User can customize the functionality to properly control their devices, adding and removing devices (present in the Code Database), selecting the look and feel he wants, programming short keys or "macros" to do a sequence of actions, etc.

A person skilled in the art could introduce changes and modifications in the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined in the attached claims.

ACRONYMS

ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

DC Device Controller

DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

GUI Graphic User Interface

HD Hard Disk

IR InfraRed

ISP Internet Service Provider

LAN Local Area Network

OS Operating System

PC Personal Computer

RC Remote Controller

RF Radio Frequency

RG Residential Gateway

USB Universal Serial Bus

WAN Wide Area Network

Claims

1 . - Infrared remote control system, comprising:

- a portable wireless processing device (1 ) for transmitting, to a wireless access point (2), first RF signals containing control data for controlling at least one appliance

(4a, 4b) having a IR receiver;

- a wireless access point (2) for at least receiving said first RF signals and generating therefrom second RF signals containing control data and transmitting them to a RF-IR transceiver, and

- a RF-IR transceiver (3) for receiving said second RF signals, generating IR command signals there from and transmitting said IR command signals to said IR receiver of said at least one appliance (4a, 4b) in order to control it;

characterised in that said wireless access point (2) is a manager computing device having access to a remote updated IR code manufacturer database (5) for downloading the updated IR codes, for controlling said at least one appliance (4a, 4b), and for using said updated IR codes by including them into said second RF signals.

2. - Infrared remote system as per claim 1 , wherein said manager computing device (2) has, stored in a memory, a set of IR codes for the control of a plurality of appliances (4a, 4b), said updated IR codes downloading updating said set of stored IR codes.

3. - Infrared remote system as per claim 1 , wherein said manager computing device (2) is intended for, after receiving said first RF signals, downloading said updated IR codes and generating said second RF signals from the first RF signals and from the downloaded updated IR codes.

4.- Infrared remote system as per claim 1 , wherein said manager computing device (2) is intended for carrying out said updated IR codes downloading automatically at predetermined times or periodically.

5. - Infrared remote control system as per any of the previous claims, wherein said manager computing device (2) is connected to said remote updated IR code manufacturer database (5) through Internet.

6. - Infrared remote control system as per any of the previous claims, wherein said manager computer device (2) is a gateway providing communications between at least said remote updated IR code manufacturer database (5), said RF-IR transceiver (3) and a user application installed in said at least one portable wireless processing device (1 ) providing a user interface for managing the control of appliances (4a, 4b).

7.- Infrared remote control system as per any of the previous claims, comprising at least one remote computing device (6) connected to said manager computing device (2) for at least transmitting signals containing control data for controlling at least one appliance (4a, 4b) having a IR receiver.

8.- Infrared remote control system as per claim 7 when depending on claim 6, wherein said gateway (2) provides communications between a user application installed in said at least one remote computing device (6), providing a user interface for managing the control of appliances (4a, 4b), and the rest of elements connected to the gateway (2).

9. - Infrared remote control system as per claim 6, wherein said gateway (2) has programmable automatic capabilities for generating said second RF signals at scheduled times without the requirement of receiving said first RF signals.

10. - Infrared remote control system as per claim 9, wherein said gateway (2) comprises a display through which provides a graphic user interface for a user to configure his preferences such as frequency and scheduling, by accessing said programmable automatic capabilities.

1 1 . - Infrared remote control system as per any of the previous claims, wherein said control data of said second RF signals include commands containing information of the carrier frequency and the whole frame to include in said IR command signals by the RF-IR transceiver (3).

12.- Infrared remote control system as per any of the previous claims, wherein said RF-IR transceiver (3) comprises a plurality of infrared light emitting diodes (D1 -D8) mounted on a support (S) according to an annular distribution such that their combined emissions provide a coverage of 360 degrees.

13. - Infrared remote control system as per claim 12, wherein said support (S) has mounting means for its mounting on a ceiling such that the support face where said infrared LEDs (D1 -D8) are mounted on remains substantially horizontal.

14. - Infrared remote control system as per claim 13, wherein each of said infrared LEDs (D1 -D8) is mounted on said support (S) with an inclination between 50 and 65 degrees with respect to an horizontal axis which is perpendicular to its focal axis.

15.- Infrared remote control system as per any of claims 12 to 14, wherein said

RF-IR transceiver (3) comprises a programmable carrier generator from 28kHz to 455KHz and a command interpreter to generate a wave envelope, for said IR command signals, corresponding to the commands of the control data included in the received second RF signals.

16. - Infrared remote control system as per any of the previous claims, wherein said RF-IR transceiver (3) is also intended for controlling the operation of at least one electrical device, according to instructions received within third RF signals sent by said manager computing device (2) automatically or upon receiving signals sent by said at least one wireless portable processing device (1 ) and/or by said at least one remote computing device (6).

17. - Infrared remote system as per claim 16, wherein said at least one electrical device is a lamp.

18. - Infrared remote system as per claim 16 or 17, wherein said RF-IR transceiver (3) is intended for controlling the operation of said at least one electrical device by controlling the electrical supply thereof directly, without sending any IR signal, and/or indirectly by sending a corresponding IR signal to a IR receiver controlling said device electrical supply.