JP2010233157A - Electronic apparatus with remote control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus including a remote control device with which a remote control operation can be performed while watching an on-screen displayed image and user friendliness is improved. <P>SOLUTION: A remote control device 2 includes: a pointing device 22 for controlling moving of a cursor; and a selecting position determining means 23 for determining, as a selecting position, a position pointed with the cursor. An electronic apparatus body 1 includes a control means 11 which issues a control command on the basis of a remote control signal, and a display signal generating means 16 which generates a signal for on-screen displaying a remote control image modelling a remote controller and the cursor under control by the control means 11. In the electronic apparatus including the remote control device 2 and the electronic apparatus body 1, a key arrangement change mode is provided for changing the arrangement of input keys displayed in the remote control image while using the pointing device 22 and the selecting position determining means 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device including a remote control device such as a television receiver.

  In recent years, for example, electronic devices such as television receivers, video players such as DVD players, and video recording / playback devices such as DVD recorders are generally equipped with a remote control device so that the main body of the electronic device can be remotely operated. Conventionally, various devices have been devised for the configuration of an electronic device including a remote control device (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 5).

  For example, when an electronic device is operated using a remote control device, there is a configuration in which the electronic device is operated while viewing an image displayed on-screen on a screen. In recent years, many electronic devices have various functions, and accordingly remote control operations tend to be complicated. For this reason, it is convenient to operate the remote control while viewing the image displayed on the screen on the screen.

  In the configuration where the remote control is operated while viewing the image displayed on the screen, the remote control image imitating the remote control is displayed on the screen, and the input key on the remote control image is selected by moving the cursor. A configuration for performing a remote control operation has been proposed (see Non-Patent Document 1). In this configuration, the number of operation buttons on the remote control can be reduced to make the remote control simple, and the user can operate the remote control while only looking at the remote control image displayed on the screen. This gives the user an impression that the remote control operation is easy.

JP-A-8-186774 JP 9-305305 A JP 2007-325019 A JP 2008-258894 A JP 2007-228163 A

Panasonic, “Exhibition Blog Cyber Showcase Blog”, [online], October 3, 2008, [Search March 17, 2009], Internet <URL: http://ex-blog.panasonic.co. jp / exhibition / 2008/10 / ceatec08 # 520.html>

  However, in the above-described configuration in which a remote control image simulating a remote control is displayed on the screen and the remote control operation is performed, the user may have the following dissatisfaction. That is, there is a possibility of dissatisfaction that the remote control image displayed on-screen on the screen is not user-preferred and is unusable. In addition, since the remote control image does not include operation keys that are frequently used by the user, there is a possibility of dissatisfaction such as poor usability. Furthermore, since the operation keys that are not used by the user are included in the remote control image, the remote control operation can be felt to be complicated, and there is a possibility of dissatisfaction such as poor usability.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device including a remote control device that can be operated by a remote controller while viewing an image displayed on an on-screen screen and that is convenient for a user.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electronic apparatus including a remote control device and an electronic device main body remotely operated by the remote control device, wherein the remote control device includes a pointing device that controls movement of a cursor, and the cursor. A selection position confirmation means for confirming a designated position as a selection position; and a transmission means for transmitting a signal from the pointing device and the selection position confirmation means as a remote control signal to the main body of the electronic apparatus. The main body has a receiving means for receiving the remote control signal, a control means for issuing a control command based on the remote control signal, and a remote control image imitating the remote control and the cursor on-screen display under the control of the control means. Display signal generating means for generating a signal, and Using ring device and the selected position determining means, the key sequence change mode that allows changing the sequence of input keys displayed in the remote controller image is characterized by being provided.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to remotely operate the electronic device main body while viewing the remote control image displayed on the screen without looking at the remote control device. For this reason, the operation buttons provided on the remote control device can be simplified, and the user feels easy to perform the remote control operation. The key arrangement of the remote control image displayed on the screen can be changed by the key arrangement change mode. For this reason, the user can set the remote control image displayed on the screen to be easy to use for himself, and can further facilitate the remote control operation.

  As a specific configuration of the electronic apparatus having the above-described configuration, in the key arrangement change mode, the control unit changes the remote control signal transmitted based on signals from the pointing device and the selection position determination unit. Confirming the input key to be performed, confirming the changed position of the input key to be changed, storing the changed key layout in a memory, and displaying the remote control image after the key layout change on the display generating means Processing may be performed.

  In the electronic apparatus having the above configuration, the display signal generation unit can generate a signal for on-screen display of a list of input keys provided in association with each of the operations that can be remotely operated by the remote control device. In the key layout change mode, an input key selected from the list may be added to the remote control image. As a result, the range in which the user can customize the remote control image is widened, and the remote control can be more preferable for the user.

  In the electronic apparatus having the above structure, the pointing device may be a touch panel.

  In the electronic device having the above-described configuration, the electronic device main body may be a television receiver main body.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic apparatus including a remote control device that can be operated by a remote controller while viewing an image displayed on the screen and that is convenient for the user.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic device (television receiver) including a remote control device according to an embodiment The figure for demonstrating the structure of the remote control device with which the electronic device (television receiver) of this embodiment is equipped. The schematic diagram which shows an example of the television screen at the time of operating a television receiver using the remote control apparatus of this embodiment Flowchart showing the control operation of the main body control unit in the key layout change mode Schematic diagram showing an example of a television screen in the key layout change mode

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an electronic apparatus including a remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, an embodiment will be described in which an electronic apparatus including a remote control device is a television receiver.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic apparatus including the remote control device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a television receiver main body, and reference numeral 2 denotes a remote control device for remotely operating the television receiver main body 1. Hereinafter, schematic configurations of the television receiver main body 1 and the remote control device 2 will be described in order.

  The television receiver 1 includes a main body control unit 11, a memory 12, a tuner 13, a decoder 14, a video / audio signal processing unit 15, an OSD (On Screen Display) unit 16, and a video output unit 17. , An audio output unit 18 and a remote control receiving unit 19 are provided. The main body control unit 11 includes a CPU and the like, and controls each unit provided in the television receiving device main body 1. The memory 12 stores programs and data necessary for the operation of the television receiver.

  The tuner 13 receives a television broadcast signal such as a terrestrial broadcast signal via an antenna (not shown). The decoder 14 demodulates the broadcast signal received by the tuner 13. The video / audio signal processing unit 15 separates the demodulated broadcast signal into a video signal and an audio signal. The OSD unit 16 multiplexes OSD information necessary for remote control operation on the separated video signal. The video output unit 17 includes a monitor formed by, for example, a liquid crystal display device or the like, and represents a video signal (which may or may not be multiplexed with OSD information) as a monitor screen (hereinafter referred to as a television screen). Output). The audio output unit 18 includes a speaker and outputs an audio signal separated by the video / audio signal processing unit 15. The remote control receiving unit 19 receives a remote control signal (for example, an infrared signal is used) transmitted from the remote control device 2. Information received by the remote control receiver 19 is input to the main body controller 11.

  The remote control device 2 includes a remote control control unit 21, a pointing device 22, a selection position determination unit 23, and a transmission unit 24. The remote control control unit 21 includes a CPU and the like, and controls each unit provided in the remote control device 2. The pointing device 22 controls the movement of the cursor, whereby the user can control the movement of the cursor displayed on the television screen of the television receiver body 1. The selection position determination means 23 determines the position indicated by the cursor controlled by the pointing device 22 as the selection position, whereby the user determines the position indicated by the cursor on the television screen as the selection position. Can do.

  2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining a configuration of a remote control device provided in the electronic apparatus (television reception device) of the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of the remote control device, and FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the AA position of Fig.2 (a). The configuration of the remote control device 2 of the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  In the remote control device 2 of the present embodiment, the pointing device 22 is configured by an electrostatic touch panel, and the electrostatic touch panel 22 is attached to the opening hole on the upper surface of the case 25. Since the configuration of the electrostatic touch panel 22 that functions as a pointing device is well known, a detailed configuration is not shown, but two film-like substrates each having a predetermined pattern of conductive layer formed on each upper surface are overlaid. The cover sheet is stacked from above.

  On the upper surface of the wiring board 36 below the electrostatic touch panel 22, a substantially circular central fixed contact 31A formed of a conductive member such as copper or carbon, and a substantially horseshoe formed so as to surround the central fixed contact 31A. A plurality of fixed contacts 31 each having an outer fixed contact 31A having a shape are provided.

  A plurality of movable contacts 33 each having a substantially dome shape and made of a conductive metal thin film such as copper are attached to the lower surface of the base sheet 32 made of a film-like resin such as polyethylene. The base sheet 32 is placed so that the outer periphery of the movable contact 33 attached to the lower surface of the base sheet 32 is placed on the outer fixed contact 31B, and the center of the lower surface of the movable contact 33 is opposed to the central fixed contact 31A with a predetermined gap. It is affixed on the upper surface of the wiring board 36. The fixed contact 31 and the movable contact 33 are paired to form a switch contact 34, and a plurality of switch contacts 34 are provided below the electrostatic touch panel 22.

  Further, a protrusion 35 formed of a resin such as polyester or epoxy is provided on the upper surface of the base sheet 32 above the center of each movable contact 33. The protrusion 35 is in contact with the lower surface of the electrostatic touch panel 22. By forming in this way, the switch contact 34 can be turned on / off depending on whether or not the electrostatic touch panel 22 is pressed. For this reason, it is possible to determine the position indicated by the cursor (controlled to move by the electrostatic touch panel 22) as the selection position by the operation of pressing the electrostatic touch panel 22. That is, the electrostatic touch panel 22, the switch contact 34, and the protrusion 35 constitute a selection position determination unit 23 that determines the position indicated by the cursor as the selection position.

  In addition, the remote controller 21 is mounted on the lower surface of the wiring board 36. The transmitter 24 provided on the side surface of the case 25 is made of an electronic component such as a light emitting diode (not shown) mounted on the wiring board 36. Further, the plurality of push buttons 26 provided on the upper surface of the case 25 are provided so as to be able to be pressed or swinged, and below these push buttons 26, switch contacts similar to the above-described switch contacts 34 are provided. Thus, electrical connection / disconnection is enabled by operating the push button 26. This push button 26 is used, for example, to turn on / off the power of the television receiver main body 1. In FIG. 1, the push button 26 is not shown.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the operation when the television receiver main body 1 of the present embodiment is operated using the electrostatic touch panel (pointing device) 22 and the selection position determination means 23 of the remote control device 2 will be described. While explaining. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a television screen when the television receiver is operated using the remote control device of the present embodiment.

  When the user touches the upper surface of the electrostatic touch panel 22 of the remote control device 2 with a finger (this may be a dedicated pen, for example), the remote control control unit 21 detects that by a signal from the electrostatic touch panel 22 and receives the television. A remote control signal is transmitted to the apparatus body 1. Thereby, the main body control unit 11 instructs the OSD unit 16 to display a remote control image 41 and a cursor 42 imitating a remote control on the television screen as shown in FIG. That is, the OSD unit 16 functions as a display signal generation unit of the present invention. Note that image information related to the remote control image 41 and the cursor 42 is stored in the memory 12.

  When the user moves his / her finger so as to trace the upper surface of the electrostatic touch panel 22 with his / her finger, the remote control control unit 21 detects a change in the contact location based on a signal from the electrostatic touch panel 22. As a result, a signal corresponding to the change in the contact state is transmitted from the remote control device 2 to the television receiving device main body 1, and the main body control unit 11 acquires movement information of the cursor 42. Then, the main body control unit 11 controls the OSD unit 16 to display on the TV screen an image in which the cursor 42 moves according to the movement of the finger.

  When the user moves the cursor 42 using the electrostatic touch panel 22 while watching the television screen and presses the electrostatic touch panel 22 in order to select the input key 41 a displayed on the remote control image 41, the above-described selection position determination means 23. The remote controller control unit 21 detects that the position indicated by the cursor 42 has been determined as the selected position. Thereby, the fact that the position pointed to by the current cursor 42 is selected by the user from the remote control device 2 is transmitted to the television receiver main body 1, and the main body control unit 11 detects an input key corresponding to the position, The instruction corresponding to the selected input key is executed. For example, in FIG. 3, when the channel button “8” is selected, the main body control unit 11 instructs the tuner 13 to select the channel “8”.

  That is, in the television receiving device provided with the remote control device of this embodiment, the user can conveniently perform the remote control operation while watching only the TV screen without looking at the remote control device 2. By the way, as described above, the user may be dissatisfied with the arrangement of the input keys 41a of the remote control image 41 displayed on the TV screen, and the arrangement of the input keys 41a of the remote control image 41 can be freely set according to the user's preference. It is convenient to be able to change settings. For this reason, the television receiver including the remote control device of the present embodiment is provided with a key arrangement change mode that allows the input key 41a displayed in the remote control image 41 to be changed.

  This key layout change mode will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the main body control unit in the key layout change mode. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a television screen in the key layout change mode.

  The arrangement of the input keys 41a of the remote control image 41 displayed on the television screen can be changed by the user selecting the key arrangement changing mode. That is, first, the main body control unit 11 needs to recognize that the key arrangement change mode has been selected by a command from the user (step S1). Such recognition can be realized by, for example, a configuration in which an input key for selecting the key arrangement change mode is provided in the input key 41a displayed in the remote control image 41. Moreover, as another form, you may implement | achieve by the structure etc. which provide the input button for selecting key arrangement change mode in the some input button 26 (refer FIG. 2) provided in the remote control apparatus 2.

  When recognizing that the key arrangement change mode is selected, the main body control unit 11 controls the OSD unit 16 to display the remote control image 41, the cursor 42, and the key list 43 as shown in FIG. Step S2). The key list 43 is a list of input keys 43 a provided in association with operations that can be remotely operated by the remote control device 2. Image information related to the key list 43 is stored in the memory 12 in advance. Note that the key list 43 shown in FIG. 5 is merely an example, and of course is not limited to this.

  In a state where the screen for the key arrangement change mode is displayed, the user wants to change the position of the cursor 42 using the electrostatic touch panel 22 of the remote control device 2 (or 43a; hereinafter, the parentheses are omitted). To match. When the position of the cursor 42 is aligned with the input key 41a to be changed, the user presses the electrostatic touch panel 22 to operate the selection position determination unit 23 to determine the input key 41a to be changed. Thus, a remote control signal is transmitted from the remote control device 2 to the television receiver main body 1, and the main body control unit 11 determines the input key 41a selected by the user and desired to be changed (step S3). In the key layout change mode, the main body control unit 11 does not attempt to perform an operation corresponding to the input key 41a even if the selection of the input key 41a is confirmed.

  When the user confirms the input key 41a desired to be changed, the position after the change of the input key 41a desired to be changed next is confirmed. Specifically, the user uses the electrostatic touch panel 22 to move the cursor 42 to a position where the user wants to change, and uses the selection position determination means 23 to determine the position of the input key 41a after the change. As a result, a remote control signal is transmitted from the remote control device 2 to the television receiver main body 1, and the main body control unit 11 determines the position of the changed input key 41a selected by the user (step S4).

  Here, with reference to FIG. 5, the selection of the input key whose key arrangement is to be changed and the selection of the position after the change in the key arrangement change mode will be described in a little more detail. In the television receiver of this embodiment, the user can select not only the input key 41a in the remote control image 41 but also the input key 43a displayed in the key list 43 as an input key whose key layout is to be changed. That is, in addition to moving the position of the input key 41a already displayed in the remote control image 41 (corresponding to the route r1 in FIG. 5), it is possible to add the input key 43a that was not in the remote control image 41 ( This corresponds to the route r2 in FIG.

  Further, when the input key 41a already displayed in the remote control image 41 is selected as an input key to be changed, a position outside the remote control image 41 can be selected as the changed position (route r3 in FIG. 5). Is applicable). In this case, the input key 41a displayed in the remote control image 41 is processed as being deleted.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the main body control unit 11 updates the previously stored information of the remote control image 41 according to the determined position of the input key 41a after the change, and controls the OSD unit 16 to control the television. The remote control image 41 displayed on the screen is changed (step S5). If there are a plurality of input keys 41a for changing the key arrangement, steps S3 to S5 are repeated. The key arrangement change mode is terminated by a command from the user. For example, the key arrangement change mode is canceled if a key for selecting the key arrangement change mode is selected again. do it.

  As described above, in the television receiver having the remote control device of the present embodiment, the key layout of the remote control image 41 displayed on the screen when the remote control operation using the remote control device 2 is performed is set to the user's preference. The settings can be changed freely. For this reason, it becomes very easy for the user to operate the remote control.

  The embodiment described above is an example, and an electronic device including the remote control device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. That is, various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the pointing device included in the remote control device is an electrostatic touch panel has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a touch panel is selected as the pointing device, it is not essential to use an electrostatic touch panel, and other known touch panels may be substituted.

  In the embodiment described above, the selection position confirmation means for confirming the position indicated by the cursor as the selection position is configured to be realized by pressing the electrostatic touch panel. However, the configuration of the selected position determination unit is not limited to this configuration, and may be realized by an input button or the like provided on the remote control device 2, for example.

  In the embodiment described above, the input key can be added from the key list in the key layout change mode. However, such a configuration may not be used.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the electronic device including the remote control device is a television receiving device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, an electronic device including a remote control device is a video playback device that plays back video (for example, a player that plays back DVD or BD) or a video recording / playback device that records and plays back video (eg, DVD recorder, BD recorder, etc.). There may be.

  The present invention can be widely applied to electronic devices including a remote control device, and is suitable for a television receiver, a video playback device, and a video recording / playback device.

1 Television receiver body (electronic equipment body)
2 Remote control device 11 Main body control unit 12 Memory 16 OSD unit (display signal generating means)
19 Remote control receiver 22 Electrostatic touch panel (pointing device)
23 selection position determination means 24 transmission unit 34 switch contact (part of selection position determination means)
35 Protrusion (part of the selection position determination means)
41 Remote control image 41a Input key 42 Cursor 43 Key list 43a Input key

Claims (5)

In an electronic device comprising a remote control device and an electronic device body remotely operated by the remote control device,
The remote control device includes a pointing device that controls movement of a cursor, selection position determination means that determines a position indicated by the cursor as a selection position, and signals from the pointing device and the selection position determination means as remote control signals. Transmission means for transmitting to the electronic device body,
The electronic device main body includes a receiving means for receiving the remote control signal, a control means for issuing a control command based on the remote control signal, a remote control image imitating a remote control under the control of the control means, and the cursor on-screen display Display signal generating means for generating a signal for causing
An electronic apparatus, wherein a key arrangement change mode is provided that allows an arrangement of input keys displayed in the remote control image to be changed using the pointing device and the selection position determination means.   In the key arrangement change mode, the control means determines an input key to be changed by the remote control signal transmitted based on signals from the pointing device and the selection position determination means, and the input to be changed. 2. The position after the key change is determined, the key arrangement after the change is stored in a memory, and the display generation unit is caused to perform processing for displaying the remote control image after the key arrangement change. The electronic device as described in. The display signal generation unit can generate a signal for on-screen display of a list of input keys provided in association with each of the operations that can be remotely operated by the remote control device,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein an input key selected from the list can be added to the remote control image in the key arrangement change mode.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the pointing device is a touch panel.   5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus main body is a television receiver main body.

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