JP2001275172A - Near infrared ray remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control system that can be controlled by an instruction from a remote place and can control electric devices such as existing lighting fixtures, an air-conditioner, video and television from a remote place without replacing them. SOLUTION: In the near infrared ray remote control system 1 having a near infrared ray remote commander 2 and a mobile phone 3 connected to the near infrared ray remote commander 2, the near infrared ray remote commander 2 has a control circuit 2c that receives an instruction input from other mobile phone 4a capable of communication with the communication terminal 3 and generates a remote control signal to electric devices 5-7 and a light emitting section 2f that converts the remote control signal into near infrared ray hν and emits the near infrared ray pulses.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a near-infrared remote control system, and more particularly, to a near-infrared remote control system capable of controlling from a remote place where near infrared rays cannot reach via a communication terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, home automation has been proposed as an integral part of an electric home system. In this home automation system, a control panel is installed in a home, a telephone line is connected to the control panel, and various electric devices are connected to the control panel in a circuit form. This allows the user to control various home electrical appliances from the telephone via the telephone line even when away from home. In other words, the user can use the home automation system to perform various remote operations, such as operating the air conditioner even when going out and controlling the indoor temperature to just the right level when returning home. Can be.

[0003]

However, introduction of the above-mentioned conventional home automation system to an existing house requires a lot of wiring work, and a great expense is required for the wiring work. In addition, it was inevitable that the more the number of wirings, the worse the appearance. In addition, in order to connect to the home automation system, corresponding electric equipment is required, and when introducing this system, it is necessary to replace an existing electric product with another one. Needed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object to be able to be controlled by a command from a remote place and to use existing lighting equipment, air conditioning equipment, and video. To provide a near-infrared remote control system capable of controlling an electric device such as a television or a television without replacing it.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a near-infrared remote control system of the present invention is a near-infrared remote control system having a near-infrared remote control and a communication terminal connected to the near-infrared remote control. Receiving a command input from another communication terminal capable of communicating with the communication terminal, the near-infrared remote control generates a remote control signal for an electric device; And a light emitting section that emits pulse light.

Therefore, by using the near-infrared remote control system, the user can place the light-emitting unit in the line of sight of the electric device to be controlled, thereby enabling another communication with this communication terminal. The near-infrared remote controller can be controlled using a terminal. That is, by transmitting a predetermined command to the near-infrared remote control system via the communication terminal, it becomes possible to control the electric equipment even from a remote place outside the line-of-sight range of the electric equipment.

[0007] In particular, since many of the recent electric appliances can be controlled by remote control using near infrared rays, if the near infrared remote control system of the present invention is used, many existing electric appliances can be remotely controlled by using this remote control signal. , And high versatility because there is no need for a connection terminal corresponding to a separate home automation system. Note that the expression “remote location” in the present invention indicates a remote location where near-infrared rays do not directly reach the electrical device to be controlled, and for home use, for example, indicates a different room or a destination. I have.

The near-infrared remote controller has a near-infrared light receiving unit, and the control circuit inputs near-infrared light from a near-infrared remote controller dedicated to an electric device to be controlled via the light receiving unit, and controls each electric device. In the case where a storage unit for storing a remote control signal is provided, by temporarily storing the remote control signal for the electric device in the storage unit, it is possible to control all the remote controllable electric devices from a remote place. . Since the format of the remote control signal is determined by the Home Appliances Association of Japan, the content stored as the remote control signal may be a numerical value such as a custom code or a data code. The received near-infrared pulse signal may be stored as it is.

When the communication terminal is a mobile phone,
It is possible to control electric devices using a mobile phone that has become widely used. Usually, since a mobile phone is provided with a serial communication terminal, the near-infrared remote controller having the communication function of the present invention can be easily connected to an existing serial communication terminal. In addition, since the telephone line is wired everywhere, whether wired or wireless, the user can use the telephone line to control each electric device at any time on the road, thereby improving convenience.

It is to be noted that the mobile phone mentioned here can transmit a command using a telephone line such as a digital mobile communication service (PHS) or a portable type mobile phone which can be connected to the telephone line using electromagnetic waves. And the like. Further, the communication terminals are not limited to both mobile phones, and the communication terminal to which the user gives the control instruction is a mobile phone, and the communication terminal constituting the near-infrared remote control system is connected to a telephone line described later. It may be a connected telephone or modem.

When the communication terminal is a telephone or a modem (including a terminal adapter) communicating using a general telephone line or digital communication (ISDN) line, the near-infrared remote control system of the present invention is constituted. There is no need to separately provide a communication terminal, and the capital investment can be reduced accordingly.

When the control circuit has a function of downloading a remote control signal for each electric device required by the control circuit via a communication terminal connected to the near-infrared remote controller, a remote control signal corresponding to the latest electric device is provided. Can be easily obtained, and a promising near-infrared remote control system can be provided.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of a near-infrared remote control system 1 of the present invention. The near-infrared remote control system 1 includes an infrared remote controller 2 and a communication terminal connected to the infrared remote controller 2. 3 (PH as an example
S in the present embodiment, hereinafter simply referred to as PHS3).

P is a telephone network of a portable telephone which can be connected to the PHS3 or another portable telephone by an electromagnetic wave w;
N is a telephone network for general telephones, 4a, 4b, and 4c are PHSs, which are other communication terminals capable of communicating with the PHS2 via the telephone network P, portable mobile, and tone transmission. Telephones 5, 6, and 7 are an air conditioner, a television, and a video, which are examples of electric devices to be controlled.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the internal configuration of the near infrared remote controller 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the near-infrared remote controller 2 of the present embodiment emits an interface 2a for connecting to the PHS 3 via a cable C, a battery 2b, a control circuit (hereinafter, CPU) 2c, and a near-infrared ray hν. A light emitting unit 2f including a light emitting diode 2d as an example of a light emitting element and a light emitting element control circuit 2e for controlling the light emitting diode 2d;
2g which is an example of a light receiving element for receiving light
A light receiving section 2i comprising a light receiving element control circuit 2h for controlling the photodiode 2g; a transmitting circuit 2j for supplying a pulse for operating the CPU 2c; and a key input switch 2k.

In the CPU 2c, a control signal library 21 for storing a remote control signal for each electric device is stored in an internal storage unit 2m in advance. In this embodiment, the storage unit 2 is provided as an example of the CPU 2c.
m, and an example in which various setting location data 2n is also stored in the storage unit 2m, but the present invention is not limited to this.
A memory element separate from 2c may be provided to increase the capacity.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the state of the key input switch 2k of the near infrared remote controller 2. In FIG.
₁ ~K ₁₂ are numeric keys, K ₁₃ ~K ₁₈ electric apparatus selection keys allows selecting various electrical appliances, K ₁₉ ~K ₂₂ is remote control key for operating the near-infrared remote controller 2, K ₂₃ ~K ₂₉
Is an operation key for operating an electric device to be controlled.
The arrangement and the names of the keys K ₁ ~K ₂₉ is intended to disclose just one example, not intended to be limited to the examples described above.

Next, a method of registering a remote control signal of each electric appliance to be controlled in the near infrared remote controller 2 will be described. In the near-infrared remote controller 2 of the present example, a television,
Air conditioners, lighting fixtures, video, and two other types of electrical equipment (keys disclose "Spare 1" and "Spare 2")
, The remote control signals corresponding to the six types of electric devices can be selected. Therefore, the user needs to register a remote control signal corresponding to the maker and type of the electric equipment to be controlled in the near-infrared remote control 2.

Each electric device uses a unique remote control signal according to the manufacturer and the time of manufacture. Therefore, the storage unit 2m in the near infrared remote controller 2
, A remote control signal for operating each electric device of a main maker which is likely to be used is stored in advance as a control signal library 21.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the control signal library 21. As shown in this figure, the remote control signal corresponding to each electric device is transmitted by its manufacturer (Company P, T
Company, company A, company D, company S, company M, etc.) and the type determined by the time of manufacture. Also, numbers are associated with the manufacturers and types so that they can be easily identified.

That is, as one method for the user to set the remote control signal of each electric device to the near-infrared remote controller 2, a remote control corresponding to the electric device owned by the user is selected from the control signal library 21 stored in advance. By extracting the control signal, it is possible to make settings according to the manufacturer and type of the electric device.

FIG. 5 shows the inside of the control signal library 21.
Infrared remote control corresponding to the TV 6 used by the user
It is a figure which discloses the procedure which extracts a control signal. now,
For example, before the 1989 company P
Set the remote control signal corresponding to the manufactured TV 6
Consider an example. The setting method is as follows.
Setting key K from among the operation keys₂₀And from the number keys
1 key K ₁At the same time and press this near infrared remote control 2
Each of the preset control signal libraries 21
Set to the condition to select the remote control signal.

Next, the television is selected from among the electric device selection keys.
Key K₁₃, A key K representing company P ₁, Before 1989
1 key K to represent₁After pressing in order,
-Registration key K from_{twenty one}By pressing the TV
To select a remote control signal for controlling the remote controller 6
Can be. At this time, it is visible out of the
Clarify by light LED, beep-on generator, etc.
You can also.

[0024] By performing registration Thus, by simply selecting the TV from the following operations by the key K _13, remote control signals of a television 6 prepared in 1989 prior Company P from near infrared remote controller 2 Can be sent. Further, a remote control signal for operating an air conditioner, lighting, video, and other devices can be registered in a similar manner. Other devices include Japanese Patent Application No. 11-244 filed on August 31, 1999 by the present applicant.
No. 900, a remote control signal for controlling a power control switch is transmitted to a control signal library 21.
May be preset.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for registering a remote control signal for a completely new electric device in the storage unit 2m. Now, as an example, consider a procedure in which a command to turn on the power of the television 6 is read directly from a remote controller attached to the television and stored in the storage unit 2m of the near infrared remote controller 2. How to set this case, first, press the setting key K ₂₀ and a second key K ₂ digits simultaneously, then by pressing the read key K ₂₂ from a remote control key, directly to the near-infrared remote controller 2 Set to read infrared pulse.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the remote control 6a attached to the video 6 is pointed at the light receiving section 2i, and the power-on key of the remote control 6a is pressed. At this time, the light receiving section 2i
CPU2 which receives a pulse signal of near infrared light hν via
c decodes the remote control signal based on this and stores it in the form of data. At this time, the fact that the signal has been correctly received may be indicated by an LED or a beep-on generator (not shown).

If the remote control signal conforms to a format unified by the Association of Home Appliances, the capacity of the storage unit 2m used can be reduced by storing only the data of each code. However, it is also possible to simply store the width of each pulse as the time of a portion with and without a carrier. In this case, the data can be stored regardless of the format of the remote control signal, and its versatility can be increased. Further, the recording method of the remote control signal may be selectable.

Thereafter, by pressing the TV key K ₁₃ among the electric device selection keys, the ON key K ₂₃ among the operation keys, and the registration key K ₂₁ among the remote control operation keys, the decoded remote control signal is stored. It can be stored and registered in the section 2m. Note that, at the time of this registration, it is also possible to clearly indicate that the registration has been correctly performed by an LED or a beep-on generator (not shown). Then, the user of the registering operation is the operation key K ₂₃ ~K ₂₉ and numeric keys K ₁ ~K ₁₂ is performed by repeating the number of keys that require the operation of the television 6.

By performing the above-described registration, it is possible to register a completely new control signal of an electric device that is not in the control signal library 21 and the versatility of the near-infrared remote controller 2 can be increased accordingly. Furthermore, it is also possible to individually register a remote control signal for operating an arbitrary electric device to an arbitrary key. That is, the key K ₁ power switch of the television 6, the key K ₂ to Tou power switch of the video 7. As may use for the user, it is also possible to assign a remote control signal for each key, the electric device without using the selection by the selection key K ₁₃ ~K ₁₈ it becomes controllable.

[0030] The operation of selecting the remote control signal may be performed by downloading a remote control signal corresponding to the latest electric device from a control signal library that can be browsed via the Internet or the like. More specifically, for example, the user browses a site that discloses a remote control signal corresponding to the latest electric device using a separate personal computer or the mobile phone 3, selects a predetermined remote control signal, and selects the selected remote control. Various methods are conceivable, such as transferring a signal to the near-infrared remote controller 2 via the mobile phone 3. In this case, a remote control signal corresponding to the latest electric equipment can be obtained very easily, and a near-infrared remote control with a high future potential can be provided.

Further, the control signal library may be downloaded as a whole from the site. In this case, a key for starting the download may be provided without using a separate device such as a personal computer. The downloading of the remote control signal may be performed in the form of sending and receiving an electronic mail with a supplier of the remote control signal.

When the remote control signals corresponding to the electric devices 5 to 7 are registered in the near infrared remote controller 2 by the above-described method, the user can use the near infrared remote control system 1 to control the electric devices 5 to 7 from a remote place. Control becomes possible.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure for controlling the electric devices 5 to 7 from a remote place using the near-infrared remote control system 1. In this example, for example, FIG.
When the user attempts to record the video 7 from the PHS 4a, the user first makes a call to the PHS 3 constituting the near-infrared remote control system 1. (Step S ₁ )

When the PHS 3 is called, the near-infrared remote controller 2 transmits a signal to the PHS 3 so that the PHS 3 receives a call, and enters a password input state. At this time, the user can cause the near-infrared remote controller 2 to confirm the password by pressing a preset password (1234 in this example) after the sharp key (#), by the tone signal. . (Step S ₂ )

When the password is the same as the one set in advance, the near-infrared remote controller 2 enters a command receiving state. In this example, the command is represented by a two-digit number, for example.
The number of tens places is the type of electrical equipment 5-7 to be controlled,
Assume that the number in the one's place represents the operation. Now, the user can input that the control object is the video 7 by first pressing 4, and then instruct the video 7 to be in the recording state by pressing 5. (Step S ₃ )

Note that the above command allocation method discloses only one example, and does not limit the present invention. That is, in the case of a video, for example, it may be possible to input a G code. Also,
Voice guidance for when the content of the command is lost may be heard. Further, in order to monitor the state after the command is transmitted, a microphone for transmitting the sound in the room to the PHS 4a is provided on the near-infrared remote controller 2 side, or a thermometer or an illuminometer is built in, and the change state is monitored. PH
It is also possible to transmit to S4a.

FIG. 8 shows a case where a keyboard panel 2 'having a keyboard 2k having the same key arrangement as the near-infrared remote controller 2 is connected to a portable telephone 4a such as a PHS instead of inputting the command from the numeric keys of the portable telephone. It is a figure showing the example of. If such a keyboard panel 2 'is used, the key input switch 2k having good operability similar to that shown in FIG. 3 can be used even when the near-infrared remote controller 2 is controlled from a destination, so that commands can be learned. Since there is no need, the operation can be simplified.

FIG. 8 shows the keyboard panel 2 '.
As shown in FIG. 8A, a connector 2o that can be connected to the communication connector of the mobile phone 4a, and a folded portion 2p that can be folded while attached to the mobile phone 4a as shown in FIG. And always connectable to the mobile phone 4a.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the keyboard panel 2 'is also provided with a light-emitting portion 2f and a light-receiving portion 2i for near-infrared rays hv, so that these can be used similarly to the near-infrared remote control 2. However, the keyboard panel 2 'connected to the mobile phone 4a has a near infrared ray h.
It is not necessary to form the light emitting portion 2f and the light receiving portion 2i of ν.

The control command of the near-infrared remote control system 1 can be input many times irrespective of whether the above-mentioned keyboard panel 2 'is used or not, and when no further control is required, As shown in FIG. 7, the communication state by the PHS 4a may be disconnected to end the communication. (Step S ₄ )

In the above-described example, the PHS 4a is used as a communication terminal used by a user to transmit a command to the near-infrared remote control system 1, whereby the near-infrared remote control from a destination can be more easily performed. Although the system 1 can be controlled, the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, instead of the PHS 4a, another mobile phone other than the PHS, a communication mobile 4b capable of transmitting any signal using a telephone line regardless of whether or not it has a call function, and a telephone 4c capable of tone oscillation Various communication terminals can be used.

In any case, by using the near-infrared remote control system 1 of the present invention, the user can change the recording time of the video 7 when the extension of the baseball broadcast is known on the go, or change the recording time on the way home. The air conditioner 5 can be started to operate to control the room temperature, or the power of the electric devices 5 to 7 that may have been forgotten to be turned off can be surely operated by operation from a remote place.

In particular, since the near-infrared remote control system 1 of the present invention can control any electric device that can be controlled via infrared rays, home automation can be performed without replacing it with a new electric device as in the related art. Can be achieved with little capital investment. In addition, even if it is installed in an existing house, it is not only easy and inexpensive, since there is no need to perform wiring that may degrade the appearance.

FIG. 9 shows another example of the near-infrared remote control system 1. As another example of the communication terminal 3, the near-infrared remote control system 1 of the present embodiment is a modem 8 (terminal adapter which is connected to a digital communication line,
Hereafter, the example using TA8) is shown. In this case, the near infrared remote controller 2 is a digital line 8 of TA8.
By being connected to a, it is possible to communicate with another communication terminal (not shown) via a telephone line.

Further, as shown in this example, the near-infrared remote controller 2 has the light emitting portion 2f whose near-infrared hν
May be provided with a light-emitting body 9 capable of transmitting the remote control signal. In this case, as long as the luminous body 9 is at a line-of-sight distance from each of the electric devices 5 to 7,
All the electric devices 5 to 7 can be controlled.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The user can communicate with the communication terminal by connecting the near-infrared remote control to the communication terminal while the light emitting unit is arranged within a line-of-sight distance from the electric device to be controlled. The near-infrared remote controller can be controlled using a communication terminal. That is, by transmitting a predetermined command to the near-infrared remote controller via the communication terminal, it is possible to control the electric device even from a remote place outside the line-of-sight range of the electric device.

In particular, since most of recent electric appliances can perform remote control using near-infrared rays, if the near-infrared remote controller having the communication function of the present invention is used, many existing electric appliances can be used as they are and remote areas can be used. Therefore, the versatility is high because each electric device can be controlled from the computer.

The remote control has a near-infrared light receiving section, and the control circuit inputs near-infrared light from a near-infrared remote control dedicated to electric equipment to be controlled via the light receiving section,
In the case of having a storage unit that stores the remote control signal of each electric device as a control signal library, by temporarily storing the remote control signal of the electric device in the storage unit, it is possible to remotely control all the electric devices from a remote location. Can be controlled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a near-infrared remote control system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of the near infrared remote controller.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of a key input switch of the near infrared remote controller.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control signal library stored in a remote controller of each electric device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a procedure for selecting a remote control signal for each electric device in the control signal library.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another means for storing the remote control signal.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for sending a command to a near-infrared remote controller constituting the near-infrared remote control system via a communication terminal on the go;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a communication terminal for operating the near-infrared remote control system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the near-infrared remote control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 near infrared remote control system, 2 near infrared remote control, 3 communication terminal, 4a, 4b, 4c another communication terminal,
2c: control circuit, 2f: light emitting unit, 2i: light receiving unit, 2l ...
Control signal library, 2m storage unit, 6a near-infrared remote controller dedicated to electrical equipment, 8 modem.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5C056 AA05 AA07 BA01 BA08 BA10 CA01 CA13 CA19 DA01 EA01 EA06 5K048 AA01 AA11 BA12 DB04 DC07 EB02 EB06 HA02 5K101 KK11 NN21

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A near-infrared remote control system having a near-infrared remote control and a communication terminal connected to the near-infrared remote control, wherein a command is input from another communication terminal capable of communicating with the communication terminal. The near-infrared remote control system further comprising: a control circuit for generating a remote control signal for the electric device; and a light emitting unit that emits a pulse using the near-infrared control signal. 2. The near-infrared remote controller has a near-infrared light receiving unit, and the control circuit inputs near-infrared light from a near-infrared remote controller dedicated to electric equipment to be controlled via the light receiving unit, and The near-infrared remote control system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores a remote control signal for the device. 3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal is a mobile phone.
Or the near-infrared remote control system according to 2. 4. The near-infrared remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal is a telephone or a modem that performs communication using a general telephone line or digital communication line. 5. The function according to claim 1, further comprising a function of downloading a remote control signal for each electrical device required by said control circuit via a communication terminal connected to said near-infrared remote control. Near infrared remote control system.