JP5236957B2 - Remote control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a remote control device.

There has been devised a television in which a storage medium on which image data taken by a digital camera is recorded is attached to the television, and the image data stored in the storage medium can be displayed on a display. In addition, an audio device has been devised in which a storage medium on which audio data is recorded is attached to an audio device and audio data stored in the storage medium can be reproduced.
JP 2006-41661 A JP 2007-179634 A

However, when image data and audio data are stored in the same storage medium, when the image data stored in the storage medium is displayed on the television, the storage medium is attached to the television and then stored in the storage medium. When playing back audio data on an audio device, the storage medium must be removed from the television set and attached to the audio device.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the complicated replacement work as described above.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a remote operation signal generation unit that generates a remote operation signal for operating a first operation target device and a second operation target device, and a remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generation unit. The remote operation signal transmitting unit for transmitting the operation signal to the first operation target device and the second operation target device, the storage medium mounting unit, and the data held by the storage medium mounted on the storage medium mounting unit are stored in the first There is provided a remote operation device including a data transmission unit for transmitting to an operation target device and a second operation target device, and a control unit. According to this remote operation device, the user is freed from complicated work of replacing the storage medium between the first operation target device and the second operation target device. For example, when image data and audio data are stored in a storage medium, when the storage medium is mounted on a television and the image data is displayed on the television, the audio data stored in the storage medium is audio. Therefore, it is freed from the complicated replacement work of removing the storage medium from the television and attaching it to the audio. According to a specific feature of the present invention, the control unit included in the remote operation device transmits data from the data transmission unit to either the first operation target device or the second operation target device based on data stored in the storage medium. It is characterized by determining whether to transmit. According to this, for example, a device capable of reproducing the data held in the storage medium is determined as the data transmission destination device, so that the user is not required to select the transmission destination device.

According to a specific feature of the present invention, the control unit included in the remote operation device can determine which of the first operation target device and the second operation target device depending on the power-on state of the first operation target device and the second operation target device. Whether to transmit data from the data transmission unit is determined. According to this, since the power-on device is determined as the data transmission destination device, it is highly likely that the device that the user desires to transmit the data included in the storage medium is determined as the data transmission destination device. . According to a specific feature of the present invention, in the control unit included in the remote operation device, the data transmission most recently performed by the data transmission unit is performed to either the first operation target device or the second operation target device. Depending on whether or not the data transmission unit transmits data to either the first operation target device or the second operation target device. According to this, since user directivity is taken into consideration, there is a high probability that a device that a user desires to transmit data included in a storage medium is determined as a data transmission destination device. According to a specific feature of the present invention, the control unit included in the remote operation device is configured so that the first operation target device and the second operation are based on the type of data having the latest update date and time among the data stored in the storage medium. It is determined to which of the target devices the data transmission unit transmits data. According to this, since the device for reproducing the data with the latest date stored in the storage medium by the user is determined as the transmission destination device, the user desires to transmit the data included in the storage medium. The probability that a certain device is determined as a data transmission destination device increases.

According to a specific feature of the present invention, when the data transmission unit transmits data to the first operation target device, the control unit included in the remote operation device associates the operation method with the first operation target device. When the data transmission unit transmits data to the second operation target device, the operation method corresponds to the second operation target device. According to this, since the operation mode of the remote control is changed in conjunction with the data transmission destination device, it is not necessary for the user to manually change the operation mode of the remote control. According to a specific feature of the present invention, when the control unit included in the remote operation device transmits data to the first operation target device or the second operation target device, the first operation target device includes an operation screen for that purpose. It is characterized by being displayed on a display unit. According to this, when the first operation target device is a television, the user can perform data transmission work using the large display of the television. According to a specific feature of the present invention, the remote operation device includes a display unit, and the control unit included in the remote operation device performs an operation for transmitting data to the first operation target device or the second operation target device. A screen is displayed on a display device. According to this, the user performs work for data transmission using the display unit of the remote control device. For example, when an image file is reproduced on a television, data transmission can be performed without using a television display, so that the image file can be displayed throughout the television.

According to a specific feature of the present invention, the control unit included in the remote operation device can be reproduced by the first operation target device when transmitting data held by the storage medium to the first operation target device. Only the data is displayed on the operation screen. According to this, since only data that can be reproduced by the transmission destination device is displayed on the operation screen, the user does not erroneously select a file that cannot be reproduced by the transmission destination device. According to the specific feature of the present invention, when the control unit included in the remote operation device transmits data held in the storage medium to the first operation target device, the second operation target device can also be selected as a transmission destination. It is characterized by displaying. According to this, when the user wants to change the data transmission destination device provided in the storage medium, it is only necessary to select the device displayed on the data transmission work screen, so that an interface for easy operation is provided. According to the specific feature of the present invention, the control unit included in the remote operation device can select the second operation target device as the transmission destination when all the data held in the storage medium can be reproduced by the first operation target device. Is not displayed. According to this, since a device that cannot reproduce any of the data held in the storage medium is not displayed as a selection candidate of the data transmission destination device, an easy operation interface is provided.

According to the specific feature of the present invention, the control unit included in the remote operation device can select the second operation target device as the transmission destination when all the data held in the storage medium can be reproduced by the first operation target device. Is not displayed. According to this, since a device that cannot reproduce any of the data held in the storage medium is not displayed as a selection candidate of the data transmission destination device, an easy operation interface is provided. According to a specific feature of the present invention, the data transmission unit and the remote operation signal transmission unit included in the remote operation device are all integrated as one radio wave transmission unit. According to this, it is avoided from the undesirable situation that the volume of the remote control device becomes large due to the provision of the data transmission function.

According to another specific feature of the present invention, the present invention provides a remote operation signal generator for generating a remote operation signal for operating the first operation target device and the second operation target device, and the first operation target device. Alternatively, a data holding unit that holds data for the second operation target device, and a remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generation unit based on the data held by the data holding unit is the first operation target device or the second operation target. There is provided a remote operation device comprising: a control unit that determines which of the devices should be transmitted; and a data transmission unit that transmits a remote operation signal and data to the operation target device determined by the control unit. According to this, the data transmission destination device is determined according to the data selected by the user. According to a specific feature of the present invention, the remote device includes a selection operation unit that selects data held by the data holding unit, and the control unit included in the remote operation device is provided by the data holding unit selected by the selection operation unit. Based on the data, it is determined whether the remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generator is to be transmitted to the first operation target device or the second operation target device. According to this, a simple interface is provided in which the user displays all the data included in the storage medium, and the destination device is determined simply by selecting the data.

According to another specific feature of the present invention, the present invention provides a remote operation signal generator for generating a remote operation signal for operating the first operation target device and the second operation target device, and the first operation target. Select whether the data holding unit that holds data for the device or the second operation target device and the remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generation unit should be transmitted to the first operation target device or the second operation target device A selection operation unit, a display unit, a control unit that selectively displays data on the operation target device selected by the selection operation unit among the data held by the data holding unit, and a remote operation signal to the operation target device And a data transmission unit for transmitting data. According to this, even when the remote operation device does not hold data to be played back by the operation target device, the remote operation device plays a role of relaying between the transmission source device and the operation target device. Data included in the original device can be transmitted to the operation target device. For example, image data held by a mobile phone can be transmitted to a television through a remote control device, and the image data can be reproduced on the television. In addition, the television can be operated by operating the remote scanning device from the mobile phone. According to a specific feature of the present invention, the remote control device has a storage medium mounting unit, and the data holding unit holds data held by the storage medium mounted on the storage medium mounting unit. . As a result, a simple interface for simply mounting the storage medium on the remote control device is provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, which configures a communication system in a general home that can communicate with a power line communication (PLC) and a wireless LAN (WLAN). Yes. The single-phase three-wire power line 4 drawn by the distribution board 2 is combined with a communication signal guided from the optical cable 8 by the PLC modem 6 and wired as a power line 10 in the home. The PLC modem 6 further demultiplexes the communication signal combined with the power line 10 in the home and sends it to the outside on the optical fiber 8. As a result, uplink and downlink communication between the home and the outside becomes possible. The power line 10 is wired to each room in the home. In FIG. 1, the A room 12 and the B room 14 are illustrated as representatives. In room A 12, there are various devices that can communicate within the communication system. As representatives thereof, FIG. 1 shows an air conditioner 16, a television 18, and a mobile phone 20. On the other hand, the room B 14 also has various devices that can communicate within the communication system. As representatives, the server 22 and the refrigerator 24 are illustrated in FIG. Specifically, the air conditioner 16 has a configuration capable of PLC communication and wireless LAN communication. The television 18 and the mobile phone 20 are configured to be able to perform wireless LAN communication. Further, the server 22 and the refrigerator 24 are configured to allow PLC communication. Therefore, for example, the air conditioner 16 and the server 22 can communicate with each other through the power line 10 and the air conditioner 16 and the television 18
Can communicate with the radio wave 26 of the wireless LAN. As a result, the television 18 can communicate with the server 22 through the relay of the air conditioner 16.

The air conditioner 16 is attached to the upper part of the room by the attachment unit 15 and is connected to the power line 10 through a plug 17 connected to a single-phase three-wire 200V outlet. A power management unit 28 that controls power supply to a portion that performs the original function of the air conditioner is connected to the power line 10 via a PLC noise filter 30 provided inside the air conditioner 16. This PLC noise filter 30 cuts off the power management unit 28 from the power line 10 for the communication frequency band so that electrical noise due to the original function of the air conditioner does not get on the power line 10, while conducting the current in the frequency band necessary for power supply. It is something to be made. The power management unit 28 is a power supply circuit including a switch group, an air conditioner CPU 32 that controls the operation of the entire air conditioner, a mechanical control unit 36 that controls an actuator 34 such as a motor and a flap, and indoor and outdoor conditions such as temperature. In addition, it controls the power supplied to the infrared sensor 44 for receiving the infrared signal 42 from the various sensor units 38 for monitoring the operation of the air conditioner itself and the infrared remote controller 40 for the air conditioner, and the presence / absence of power supply. The power management unit 28 supplies power for standby to the infrared receiving unit 44 and the air conditioner CPU 32 in the air conditioner inactive state, and does not supply power to the mechanical control unit 36 and the various sensors 38. Further, when the air conditioner functions, power is appropriately supplied to the mechanical control unit 36 and various sensors 38 in accordance with a signal from the infrared communication unit 44 or the air conditioner CPU.

The PLC / WLAN control IC 46 is connected to the power line 10 through the PLC transceiver 48. Thus, the power line 10 led into the air conditioner 16 by the plug 17 inserted into the 200V outlet is branched inside the air conditioner 16, and power is supplied to the original functional part of the air conditioner via the PLC noise filter 30. The PLC / WLAN control IC 46 is directly connected to pass communication signals. The PLC transmission / reception unit 48 demultiplexes the power and the communication signal. The power is sent to the IC power supply unit 50 to supply power to each part of the IC, and the communication signal is exchanged with each part of the IC through the memory bus 52. The overall control of the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 is performed by the CPU 54 in the IC, but the function is limited to the minimum necessary, and the execution of the substantial function is shared by each part of the IC. For example, when transmitting information of the mobile phone 20 to the server 22, the radio wave transmission / reception unit 56 that has received the radio wave 26 from the mobile phone 20 inputs a communication signal to the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 via the wireless LAN transmission / reception unit 58. Subsequent functions are performed as follows. That is, the wireless LAN transmission / reception unit 58 temporarily stores the input communication signal in the SRAM 60 via the memory bus 52, and the PLC transmission / reception unit 48 reads the communication signal from the SRAM 60 via the memory bus 52 and transmits it to the server 22. . The in-IC CPU 54 performs address designation and timing adjustment necessary for these functions.

When the in-IC CPU 54 confirms that the destination MAC address of the communication signal is not related to the air conditioner 16 as described above, the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 simply plays a role of relaying the communication signal. Take charge. In addition to simply relaying, the communication timing may be adjusted by temporarily saving communication signals to the SRAM 60 or storing streaming communication data in the large-capacity external memory 64 via the memory interface 62. it can. Thus, the significance of the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 for relaying communication signals being provided in the air conditioner 16 is as follows. That is, since the air conditioner 16 is generally provided in a portion with a good line of sight near the ceiling of the room A 16, the wireless LAN relay base is in a position that does not block radio waves, and in any place in the room A 16. Wireless LAN communication with a certain device becomes possible. Further, since the air conditioner 16 is always supplied with power from the outlet and the plug 17 is not likely to be inserted and removed from the outlet, the communication signal exchanged through the wireless LAN can be stably relayed to the home by PLC communication. Further, since the air conditioner 16 is normally supplied with power from a 200V outlet, PLC communication can be performed with any voltage line of the single-phase three-wire power line as will be described later. Note that the air conditioner 16 functioning as a wireless LAN relay base with a good view of the entire room is not only a relay between the PLC and the wireless LAN as described above, but also a wireless LAN between the television 18 and the mobile phone 20, for example. It is also possible to perform relaying.

The air conditioner 16 can be controlled not only by the air conditioner dedicated infrared remote controller 40 but also by the universal wireless LAN remote controller 66. The universal wireless LAN remote controller 66 can control a plurality of devices by the radio wave 26 and can control the television 18 and the air conditioner 16, for example. When the radio wave 26 for controlling the air conditioner is transmitted to the radio wave transmission / reception unit 56 by the operation of the universal wireless LAN remote controller 66, it is transmitted to the wireless LAN transmission / reception unit 58 and temporarily stored in the SRAM 60. At the same time, in the CPU 54 in the IC, the MAC address of the received signal is collated with the air conditioner specific MAC address 68 stored in the external memory 64, and if it matches, the host interface 70 reads the air conditioner control signal from the SRAM 60 and sends it to the air conditioner CPU 32. Send. On the other hand, if the air conditioner control signal is an ON signal of the air conditioner, that fact is also sent directly to the power management unit 28. Thus, power supply necessary for the function of the air conditioner and control of the air conditioner based on the control signal are performed.

The air conditioner 16 can be controlled by PLC communication in addition to the above. For example, when an air conditioning centralized management controller is provided in the home and an air conditioner control signal is sent from such a controller to the power line 10, the PLC transmission / reception unit 48 detects this and temporarily stores it in the SRAM 60. At the same time, in the CPU 54 in the IC, the MAC address of the received signal is collated with the air conditioner specific MAC address 68 stored in the external memory 64, and when this matches, the host interface 70 reads the air conditioner control signal from the SRAM 60, It transmits to the power management part 28 as needed. The air conditioner control signal sent from the outside through the optical cable 8 is also transmitted to the air conditioner CPU 32 and the power management unit 28 as necessary from the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 in the same manner as described above, thereby remotely controlling the air conditioner. It can also be done. Specifically, remote control of the air conditioner can be performed via the Internet from a base station that undertakes management of the air conditioner or a mobile phone from outside. It is also possible to monitor whether or not the air conditioner is operating normally by using an upstream signal, in addition to such control using the downstream signal. Furthermore, it is possible to access indoor devices such as the television 18 from an external organization or a mobile phone outside the office via wireless LAN communication via the PLC / WLAN control IC 46, and instruct distribution of a program, program recording, or the like.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram showing details of the PLC wiring by the single-phase three-wire power line and noise countermeasures in the embodiment of FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted in principle. In FIG. 2, the power line 4 drawn into the distribution board in FIG. 1 is divided into three lines of a first outer line 82, a second outer line 84, and a neutral line 86. Correspondingly, the power line 10 wired in the home is also divided into three lines of a first outer line 88, a second outer line 90, and a neutral line 90 in FIG. The PLC modem 6 is shown in the middle of the power line 10 in FIG. 1, but functionally, the PLC modem 6 shares the ground with the neutral line 92 of the power line 10 as shown in FIG. Are coupled to the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90 in the same phase. That is, the high frequency communication signal is in conduction with the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90, respectively, but the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90 are insulated from each other regardless of the presence of the PLC modem 6 in terms of low frequency. Is in a state. Details of the coupling relationship will be described later.

The server 22 includes a PLC demultiplexing / combining unit 92 connected to a 100 V outlet taken from the second external line 90 and the neutral line 92. This PLC demultiplexing / combining unit 92 demultiplexes and combines power and communication signals in the same manner as the PLC transmission / reception unit of FIG. 1, and supplies power from the second external line 90 and the neutral line to each part of the server. At the same time, the communication signal is coupled to the second external line 90 and the neutral line 92 and transferred. The personal computer 94 has a normal configuration and is connected to a 100 V outlet taken from the first external line 88 and the neutral line 92 via the PLC module 96. The PLC module 96 demultiplexes and combines power and communication signals in the same manner as the PLC demultiplexing / combining unit 92. The PLC module 96 outputs power from the first outer line 88 and the neutral line to the power cable 98, and the LAN. A communication signal exchanged through the cable 100 is coupled to the first outer line 88 and the neutral line 92. The power cable 98 includes a normal AC adapter and is connected to a normal power terminal of the personal computer 94. The LAN cable 100 is connected to a normal LAN port of the personal computer 94.

As described above, since the PLC modem 6 couples the communication signal of the optical cable 8 to the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90 in the same phase, the 100V outlet and the second power line taken from the second outer line 90 and the neutral line 92 are connected. Even if the device is connected to any one of the 100V outlets taken from the outer line 88 and the neutral line 92, communication through the optical cable 8 is possible without impairing the communication speed. Further, since the first outside line 88 and the second outside line 90 are in a conductive state in terms of high frequency through the PLC modem 6, a 100 V outlet taken from the second outside line 90 and the neutral line 92, the first outside line 88, and the neutral PLC communication is possible without impairing the communication speed even with a 100 V outlet taken from the line 92.

The air conditioner 16 receives power from a plug 17 inserted into a 200 V outlet taken from the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90, and the first outer line 102 and the second outer line 104 led from the plug are drawn inside the air conditioner 16. It has been turned. The PLC transmission / reception unit 48 in the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 couples communication signals handled in the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 to the first outer line 102 and the second outer line 104 in the same phase. As a result, the communication speed is impaired even if the device is connected to either the 100 V outlet taken from the second outside line 90 and the neutral line 92 or the 100 V outlet taken from the first outside line 88 and the neutral line 92. Therefore, PLC communication in the home with the air conditioner 16 becomes possible. In addition, since the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90 are in a conductive state in terms of high frequency through the PLC transmission / reception unit 48, a 100 V outlet taken from the second outer line 90 and the neutral line 92 is relayed by the air conditioner 16. Even within the 100 V outlet taken from the first outer line 88 and the neutral line 92, PLC communication in the home inside the distribution board 2 is possible without impairing the communication speed.

The presence / absence of the PLC transmission / reception unit 48 of the air conditioner 16 is not provided with the PLC modem 6 as shown in FIG. 2, but instead between only one of the first outside line 88 and the second outside line 90 and the neutral line 92. Even in a home where a normal PLC modem that does not couple the signal of the optical cable 8 is employed, there is a great advantage. Due to the presence of the PLC transmission / reception unit 48 of the air conditioner 16, the 100V outlet and the first line taken from the second external line 90 and the neutral line 92 by the relay of the air conditioner 16 as described above, even if there is no configuration like the PLC modem 6. This is because home PLC communication is possible without impairing the communication speed between the external line 88 and the 100V outlet taken from the neutral line 92.

Furthermore, the PLC transmission / reception of the air conditioner 16 is possible regardless of whether the equipment is connected to the 100 V outlet taken from the second outside line 90 and the neutral line 92 or the 100 V outlet taken from the first outside line 88 and the neutral line 92. Since there is relaying by high-frequency coupling between the first outer line 102 and the second outer line 104 in the unit 48, communication with the outside by the optical cable 8 via the normal PLC modem as described above becomes possible. Such coupling between the first outside line 88 and the second outside line 90 can be performed at a plurality of locations in the home by installing the air conditioner of the present invention in each room. Relays can be received, and a reduction in communication speed due to an increase in the wiring length from the coupling location can be avoided.

The configuration of FIG. 2 further takes into consideration interference between the communication function and the original function of the air conditioner by using the air conditioner 16 as a relay point for wireless LAN and PLC. The PLC noise filter 30 already described is one of the functions provided for that purpose. The radio wave leakage shield 106 prevents high-frequency waves for communication from leaking as radio waves from the first external line 102 and the second external line 104 that are routed inside the air conditioner 16. The first outer line 102 and the second outer line 104 to be routed are constituted by shield lines. This prevents radio noise caused by the PLC from adversely affecting wireless devices such as the radio in the A room 12 and prevents noise from being generated in various sensors 38 in the air conditioner. This consideration is meaningful in preventing radio noise sources from appearing in a room with good visibility, such as an air conditioner.

On the other hand, the generated noise shield 108 prevents noise generated by the original function of the air conditioner from adversely affecting PLC communication. Various devices in the home are known to cause noise in PLC communication and cause communication failures and communication speed reduction, and air conditioners are one of them. In the present invention, since the PLC function unit is disposed in the vicinity of such a noise generation source, the power management unit 28, the mechanical control unit 36, and the actuator 34 are electromagnetically surrounded by the generation noise shield 108, thereby switching the switch. , Noise generated from the inverter, motor, etc. is shielded. The generated noise shield 108 is also useful for reducing adverse effects on the antenna of the wireless LAN. Further, by electromagnetically enclosing the various sensors 38 with the external disturbance radio wave shield 110, radio waves generated by PCL communication or wireless LAN are prevented from damaging the capabilities of the various sensors 38. Further, by providing the disturbance shield 112 to the PLC / WLAN control IC 46, inconvenience due to the provision of the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 in the air conditioner such as a disturbance nest is prevented. Note that only one of the various measures related to interference between the communication function and the original function of the air conditioner may be employed, or a plurality of measures may be used in combination.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram showing details of the PLC modem 6 and the PLC transmission / reception unit 48 in FIG. 2 together with related portions. The same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted in principle. Although omitted in FIG. 2, as is well known, the neutral wire 86 in the single-phase three-wire power line is grounded 122 before being drawn into the home. The PLC modem 6 has a converter 124 for converting an optical cable signal and a LAN cable signal, and the ground line 126 is common to the neutral line 96 drawn into the home. The converter 124 is connected to the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90 by high frequency couplers 128 and 130, respectively, and couples the communication signal with the ground line 126 as a reference to the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90 in the same phase. ing. The high frequency couplers 128 and 130 also function to couple communication signals between the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90.

The PLC transmission / reception unit 48 includes a PLC modem 132 and directly connects the first external line 102 and the second external line 104 to the IC power supply unit 50. The PLC modem 132 further includes an interface 134 between signals via the PLC and signals processed through the memory bus 52 in the PLC / WLAN control IC 46. A signal ground line 134 via the PLC in the interface 134 is appropriately connected to the ground level in the air conditioner 16. The interface 134 is connected to the first external line 102 and the second external line 104 by high-frequency couplers 136 and 138, respectively, and couples communication signals based on the ground line 134 to the first external line 102 and the second external line 104 in the same phase. . The high frequency couplers 136 and 138 also function to couple communication signals between the first outer line 88 and the second outer line 90 outside the air conditioner 16.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a second example of the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment also constitutes a communication system in a general home that performs PLC communication and wireless LAN communication using a single-phase three-wire power line using an air conditioner as a relay base, and is basically the same as the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described focusing on the relationship with the first embodiment. Further, the components corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted unless necessary. The air conditioner 16 in the second embodiment has an indoor unit 142 and an outdoor unit 144, and is controlled by an indoor unit main CPU 146 and an outdoor unit main CPU 148, respectively. The indoor unit main CPU 146 and the outdoor unit main CPU 148 are connected to dedicated communication units 150 and 152, respectively, and the indoor unit main CPU 146 and the outdoor unit main CPU 148 cooperate with each other by connecting them with dedicated communication lines. These indoor unit main CPU 146, outdoor unit main CPU 148, and dedicated communication units 150 and 152 correspond to the air conditioner CPU 32 of FIG.

The indoor unit 142 includes a blower 154 and a wind direction flap 156 controlled by the indoor unit main CPU 146. The blower 154 and the wind direction flap 156 correspond to the mechanical control unit 36 and the actuator 34 in FIG. Moreover, although the indoor unit 142 has the indoor temperature sensor 142, this respond | corresponds to the various sensors 38 of FIG. The indoor unit 142 is provided with a bridge circuit 160 of wireless LAN and PLC, which corresponds to the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 of FIG. The bridge circuit 160 communicates with the personal computer 162 by PLC communication through the power line 10. The bridge circuit 160 communicates with the personal computer 164 and the like through the radio wave 26. Similarly to the first embodiment, the personal computer 162 via PLC and the personal computer 164 via wireless LAN can communicate through the bridge circuit 160. Similar to the first embodiment, the indoor unit 142 of the air conditioner 16 is useful for relaying a wireless LAN because it is placed in a room with a good view.

On the other hand, the outdoor unit 144 includes a blower 166 and a compressor 168 controlled by the outdoor unit main CPU 148. The outdoor temperature sensor 170 detects the outdoor temperature and reports this to the indoor unit main CPU via the outdoor unit main CPU 148. Since the outdoor unit 144 is away from the bridge circuit 160, no countermeasures against noise are taken.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing details of the bridge circuit 160 of the wireless LAN and PLC in FIG. 4 together with peripheral circuits. The components corresponding to those in the first embodiment of FIG. 1 or the same components as those in FIG. The bridge circuit 160 has a wireless LAN baseband / MAC circuit 182 that exchanges signals with the memory bus 52, and communicates with an external high-frequency LSI 188 via an AD converter 184 and a DA converter 186. An antenna 190 is connected to the high-frequency LSI to exchange radio waves. The wireless LAN baseband / MAC circuit 182, AD converter 184, and DA converter 186 correspond to the wireless LAN transmission / reception unit 58 in FIG. 1, and the high frequency LSI 188 and antenna 190 correspond to the radio wave transmission / reception unit 56 in FIG.

The bridge circuit 160 also has a PLC modem 194 that communicates with the power line via the power supply circuit 192. This PLC modem corresponds to 132 in FIG. 3, but may be configured to perform PLC communication via the power supply circuit 192 as shown in FIG. The configuration of the bridge circuit 160 corresponds to the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 of FIG. 1, and the configuration thereof is basically the same, so other description is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the basic functions of the CPU in the IC in the first embodiment of FIG. 1 or the second embodiment of FIG. 5, and starts when the power plug of the air conditioner is inserted into a 200V power outlet. When the flow starts, first, communication-related connections and addresses in the air conditioner are checked in step S1. Next, in step S4, it is checked whether a communication signal is received via the PLC. If there is reception, the process proceeds to step S6, where the MAC address of the signal is checked to determine whether it is a communication signal related to an air conditioner.

If it is not detected in step S6 that the signal received via the PLC is related to the air conditioner, the signal is simply a signal that passes through the air conditioner, so that the process proceeds to step S8 and the process of communicating this via the wireless LAN is performed. Go to step S10. On the other hand, if a signal via the PLC is not received in step S4, the process directly proceeds to step S10. In step S10, it is checked whether a communication signal has been received via the wireless LAN. If there is reception, the process proceeds to step S12, where the MAC address of the signal is checked to determine whether it is a communication signal related to the air conditioner.

If it is not detected in step S12 that the signal received via the wireless LAN is related to the air conditioner, the signal is simply a signal that passes through the air conditioner, so the process proceeds to step S14, and the MAC address of the signal is checked. It is determined whether the communication signal is related to a wireless LAN address. If the signal is not related to the wireless LAN address, the signal is a signal to be output via PLC through the air conditioner, so that the process proceeds to step S16, the process of communicating this via PLC is performed, and the process returns to step S4.

On the other hand, when it is detected in step S14 that the communication signal relates to the wireless LAN address, this corresponds to the case where the air conditioner is used as a relay base for wireless LAN communication. Communication processing for transmitting the received communication signal via the wireless LAN is performed, and the process returns to step S4. If it is confirmed in step S10 that no signal is received even via the wireless LAN, the process returns to step S4 immediately. As described above, unless it is detected in step S6 or step S12 that the signal is related to an air conditioner, steps S2 to S18 are repeated, and the air conditioner 16 receives the signal received as a relay base for PLC communication and wireless LAN communication. Forward to address.

On the other hand, if it is detected in step S6 or step S12 that an air conditioner-related communication signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S20. It is then checked whether the air conditioner is currently on. If it is determined that the air conditioner is not in the on state, it means that the received signal is a signal for turning on the air conditioner, so the process proceeds to step S22, and first the air conditioner CPU in the sleep state is activated. Then, after performing fault tolerance pretreatment in step S24, the process proceeds to step S26 to issue a command to turn on the air conditioner. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S28 to perform post-fault tolerance processing, and then performs communication processing with the air conditioner CPU and returns to step S4. On the other hand, when it is detected in step S20 that the air conditioner has already been turned on, the process proceeds directly to step S30, where the air conditioner CPU communication process is performed, and the process returns to step S4.

Since step S2 to step S30 are repeated thereafter, whenever a signal related to the air conditioner is received, processing corresponding to this can be performed. Steps S24 and S28 are for the occurrence of a communication failure when the air conditioner is turned on. Before turning on the air conditioner, the communication signal is temporarily saved as a pre-failure process and the communication is suspended and the air conditioner is turned on. As a post-fault tolerance process, the communication signal that has been temporarily saved after the current has been stabilized is read out and communication is resumed. The details will be described below.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the fault tolerance processing from step S24 to step S28 in FIG. 6, and includes an air conditioner ON command in step S26. When the flow starts, first, it is checked in step S32 whether the PLC communication or the wireless LAN communication is in progress. If not, the process proceeds to step S26 to issue a command to turn on the air conditioner. Exit. Therefore, in this case, nothing is performed in the fault tolerance post-processing portion in step S28. On the other hand, if it is detected in step S32 that communication is in progress, the process proceeds to step S34 to check whether the communication content is packet communication. If it is packet communication, the process proceeds to step S36, and transmission processing of packet data temporarily stored in the SRAM 60 and read and transmitted next is prohibited. Then, the process proceeds to step S38, and an instruction to save the packet data in the SRAM 60 is given, and the transmission of the data saved in step S40 is suspended. The above steps S32 to S40 correspond to the fault tolerance preprocessing in step S24 in the case of packet communication.

The flow then proceeds to step S26 to issue a command to turn on the air conditioner, and proceeds to step S42. In step S42, the process waits for the current to stabilize after the influence of the rush current caused by turning on the air conditioner is eliminated. In step S42, the current may be actually monitored, or it may be timed whether a predetermined time sufficient for stabilizing the current has elapsed. When the current becomes stable, the process proceeds to step S44, the packet data saved in the SRAM 60 is read, and the transmission of the data read in step S46 is started and the flow is ended. In step 44 and step S46, priority is given to the reading and transmission of data read after being saved, and the transmission of newly received and temporarily stored data is performed after the reading and transmission of saved data is completed. To do. The above steps S42 to S46 correspond to the post-fault tolerance processing in step S28 in the case of packet communication.

As described above, in the case of packet communication, the packet data is prevented from being damaged by the rush current based on the air conditioner on command by shifting the timing of the air conditioner on command and the next packet data transmission. For this purpose, instead of step S36 to step S46, it is possible to wait for the transmission of certain packet data and adjust the timing of step S26 to issue an air-conditioner ON command immediately after the completion of the transmission. However, in this case, it is necessary that the transmission timing of the next packet data is scheduled after a time sufficient for the air conditioner current to stabilize.

On the other hand, if it is not packet data that is communicated in step S34, it is determined that streaming communication is being performed, and the process proceeds to step S48. In step S48, an instruction is given to retain the data transmitted last in moving image communication as a still image. In step S50, the transmission of the moving image is stopped. The above steps S32 to S50 correspond to the fault tolerance preprocessing in step S24 in the case where packet communication is not performed, that is, in the case of streaming communication.

The flow then proceeds to step S26 to issue a command to turn on the air conditioner, and the process proceeds to step S52. In step S52, in the same manner as in step S42, the process waits for the current to stabilize without being affected by the rush current caused by turning on the air conditioner. When the current becomes stable, the process proceeds to step S54, where an instruction to switch the still image to a moving image is issued to the communication destination, and transmission of the moving image is resumed in step S56. The above steps S52 to S56 correspond to the post-fault tolerance processing in step S28 when packet communication is not performed.

As described above, in the case of non-packet communication, that is, in the case of streaming communication for moving images, a situation where the video is temporarily stopped on the receiving side is created and an air conditioner on command is issued during that time, thereby reducing the air rush current of the air conditioner. Prevent the video from being disturbed by the influence. This is not a perfect measure, but it is the next best way to turn on the air conditioner during streaming communication. In addition to the above-described configuration, when an air conditioner ON command can be issued between communications in the same manner as in packet communications, it is possible to avoid the influence of rush current without stopping the image. In this case, the moving image data of the communication unit is saved in the large-capacity external memory 64, read by the FIFO, and communication is resumed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing basic functions of the air conditioner CPU 32 in the first embodiment of FIG. 1 or the indoor unit main CPU 146 in the large embodiment of FIG. 4, and starts when the power plug of the air conditioner is plugged into a 200V power outlet. . When the flow starts, first, a check process of each part of the air conditioner is performed in step S72, and it is checked whether an air conditioner control signal is received via the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 in step S74. If not received, it is checked in step S76 whether an air conditioner control signal has been received via the infrared receiver 44. If there is no reception, the process returns to step S74, and steps S74 and S76 are repeated unless there is any reception.

On the other hand, if it is detected in any of step S74 and step S76 that the air conditioner control signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S78, and it is checked whether it is a command to turn on the air conditioner. If it is an air conditioner ON command, the process proceeds to step S80 to turn on the air conditioner, and then proceeds to step S82. On the other hand, if the air conditioner ON command is not detected in step S78, the process directly proceeds to step S82. In step S82, it is checked whether the received signal is a command to turn off the air conditioner. If it is an air conditioner OFF command, the process proceeds to step S80 to turn off the air conditioner. In step S88, a process for setting the air conditioner CPU to the sleep state is performed, and the flow ends.

On the other hand, if the air conditioner OFF command is not detected in step S82, the control signal is a control signal when the air conditioner is in an on state, and thus the process proceeds to step S86 to perform the air conditioner control process based on the control signal and return to step S74. Thereafter, unless an air conditioner OFF command is detected in step S82, steps S74 to S82 and step S86 are repeated to wait for reception of various signals.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a third example of the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and constitutes a communication system similar to the first example or the second example. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 is provided not in the air conditioner but in the lighting device 202 in the A room 12. The power management unit 204 receives power from the power line 10 via the PLC noise filter in the same manner as in FIG. 1 and controls the illumination control unit 206 to turn on the illumination light emitting unit 208.

The illuminance sensor 210 detects the illuminance of the A room 12, and the illumination CPU 212 discriminates the illuminance sensor 210, thereby controlling the illumination control unit 206 and automatically lighting the illumination light emitting unit 208 when the room becomes dark. Further, the illumination CPU 212 calculates the light emission monitor result of the illumination light emitting unit 208 by the illuminance sensor 210, and increases the current supplied to the illumination light emitting unit 208 when the light emission efficiency of the illumination light emitting unit 208 decreases due to secular change or its duty cycle. The illumination control unit 206 is controlled. The lighting device 202 is normally controlled by the lighting switch 212, and the switch interface 214 that receives the operation transmits the operation status of the lighting switch 212 to the power management unit 204 and notifies the lighting air conditioner 212 of this.

The illuminating device 202 corresponds to an automatic or manual remote control from the outside of the A room 12 via the universal wireless LAN remote controller 66 or the PLC transmission / reception unit 48, in addition to the illumination switch 212. In the third embodiment of FIG. 9 as well, since the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 is provided in the lighting device 202 with a good view of the room, it functions as a relay base for the indoor wireless LAN and communicates with various places through the power line. Can be relayed.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a fourth example of the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and constitutes a communication system similar to the first to third examples. Since most of the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 is provided not in the air conditioner but in the residential fire alarm 302 in the A room 12.

The heat / smoke sensor 304 detects 12 heat or smoke in the room A, and when the alarm CPU 306 determines this, the alarm control unit 308 is controlled to generate an alarm from the alarm generation unit 310 in the room. On the other hand, the power management unit 312 is directly connected to the power line 10 without going through a PLC noise filter, and supplies necessary voltages to each unit of the residential fire alarm 302. For this reason, when the alarm CPU 306 determines an abnormality, this can be reported to the outside of the room A via the power management unit 312. In addition, a report can be transmitted from the power line 10 to other devices in the A room 12 by wireless LAN via the PLC / WLAN control IC 46. The alarm device CPU can also check whether the function is normal through communication via the host IF 70 via the PLC / WLAN control IC 46.

Also in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 10, since the PLC / WLAN control IC 46 is provided in the residential fire alarm 302 with a good room view, it functions as a relay base for the indoor wireless LAN and through the power line The communication signal can be relayed.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a fifth example of the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and constitutes a general home communication system using the air conditioner 402 as a relay base in the same manner as FIG. Since most of the configuration is the same as that in FIG. 1, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The fifth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the air conditioner 402 is not a PLC / WLAN control IC but a LAN control IC 404 that relays a LAN cable and a wireless LAN. In other words, the icon 402 does not have a function of PLC communication via the power line 10. The power supply unit 406 of the LAN control IC 404 only receives the power drawn into the air conditioner 402 and supplies the necessary voltages to each part of the IC.

Instead of the PLC, wired communication between the air conditioner 402 and the outside is performed by a normal LAN cable 410 connected to the wired LAN terminal 408. Further, communication with the outside is performed through a converter that converts the signal of the optical cable 8 into a signal that flows through the LAN cable network 412 in the home. The optical cable 8 may be a telephone line. In this case, ADSL communication is usually used. The same applies to the first embodiment. As described above, the advantages of the first embodiment in which the air conditioner is a wireless LAN relay base can be achieved even if the wired communication line is not a PLC but a normal LAN cable network.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a sixth example of the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The sixth embodiment relates to streaming playback in which data of a storage medium 538 attached to the universal WLAN remote controller 530 is transmitted to the television 502 or the audio 540 and the file transmitted by the destination device is played back. It is. Hereinafter, FIG. 12 will be described. In FIG. 12, the description of the components having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 is omitted. In FIG. 12, the power management 28 of the television 502 receives power supply from the power line 10. The power management 28 supplies power to the display unit 504, the speaker 506, the tuner 508, and the CPU 510. The television 502 includes the PLC / WLANIC 46 as in the air conditioner described in the first embodiment of the present invention. Of the PLC / WLANIC 46, the host IF 70 transmits and receives data to and from the television CPU 510. Further, the television 502 includes an external memory 64 and a radio wave transmission / reception unit 56 by radio. The universal WLAN remote controller 530 includes a radio wave transmission / reception unit 531, a remote control CPU 532, a display unit 534, a WLANIC 535, and a storage medium mounting unit 536. Remote operation signals for the television and audio are generated by the remote control CPU 532 and transmitted from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 531 to the television and audio via the WLANIC 535. A storage medium 538 can be attached to the storage medium attachment unit 536. The data read from the storage medium 538 can be transmitted from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 531 to the television 502 or the audio 540, and can be streamed by each device. In the television 502, image data from the universal WLAN remote controller 530 is received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 56, and is temporarily stored in the external memory 64 from the WLAN transmission / reception unit 58 via the memory bus 52 and the memory IF 62. The image data temporarily stored in the external memory 64 is transmitted to the host IF 70 through the memory IF 62 and the memory bus 52, is subjected to decompression processing by the television CPU 510, and is displayed on the display unit 504. In the audio 540, audio data transmitted from the universal WLAN 530 is received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 542, and the received data is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 544 via the WLANIC 543. The audio data from the buffer memory 544 can be encoded by the audio CPU 546, and the encoded data can be reproduced by the audio output unit 548. In addition, when the server 22 provided in the room B 14 is operating, the data held by the server 22 can be stored in the storage medium 538 attached to the universal WLAN remote controller 530. That is, data held in the server 22 is sent to the PLC / WLANIC 46 provided in the television 502 via the PLC wiring 10, and stored in the storage medium 538 provided in the universal WLAN remote controller 530 through the radio wave transmission / reception unit 56. Further, the data included in the storage medium 538 can be stored in the server 22 in the room B 14 via the reverse route, that is, the universal WLAN remote controller 530, the television 502, and the PLC wiring 10.

FIG. 13 is a control flowchart of the universal WLAN remote controller CPU in the sixth embodiment of the present invention. This flow starts when a battery is attached to the universal WLAN remote controller. In step S100, it is confirmed whether or not a storage medium is loaded. If the storage medium is not attached, the storage medium attachment standby state is entered in step S102. In step S104, it is continuously determined whether or not the storage medium is attached. Unless the storage medium is attached, the loop process is repeated in steps S102 and S104. If it is determined in step S104 that a storage medium has been loaded, the process proceeds to step S110. If the flow is started and it is determined in step S100 that a storage medium is loaded, the process enters a file reproduction mode standby state in step S106. This step is a state of waiting for a user to perform a button operation for performing streaming reproduction. In step S108, it is determined whether a file playback mode signal for streaming playback of data is input. As long as the file reproduction mode signal is not input, a loop process is returned to step S106. If it is determined in step S108 that a file playback mode signal has been input, the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, reading of file information from the storage medium attached to the universal WLAN remote controller is started. In step S112, a device for transmitting a file held in a storage medium attached to the universal WLAN remote controller is selected. Details of the selection of this device will be described later. After selecting the fill and destination device in step S112, the power of the default destination device is turned on in step S114. The universal WLAN remote controller transmits a power-on signal to the default destination device. In step S116, a process of switching the operation interface of the universal WLAN remote control to the operation mode of the default destination device is performed. For example, if the default transmission destination device is audio, a signal for operating the audio is generated by the remote control CPU. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of the user manually switching the operation mode of the remote control according to the operation target device. In step S118, the display unit included in the universal WLAN remote controller displays a question as to whether to perform file operations on the television screen. If it is determined in step S120 that there is no response operation from the user for a certain period of time, it is determined that the television screen is not used for file operation, and the display unit for file operation is provided in the universal WLAN remote control in step S124. Set on the display. Even if it is determined that a user operation is performed in step S120 and a user operation for setting the display unit for file operation as a universal WLAN remote controller in step S122, a display for file operation in step S124. On the remote control display. If the user selects the display display for file operation as the television at step S122, the display display for file operation is set at the television at step S126. After the display for file operation is set in step S124 and step S126, the destination device currently selected in step S128 and other devices that can transmit based on the file type provided in the storage medium Is displayed on the display for file operation. For example, if an image file and an audio file are stored in the storage medium, and the transmission destination device is selected as the television, the television is displayed as the currently selected transmission destination device. Display audio as a device. This is because the audio file cannot be reproduced on the television but can be reproduced if it is audio, and it is assumed that the user selects a device other than the transmission device selected by default. When only the image file is stored in the storage medium, only the television is displayed as the transmission destination device, and the audio is not displayed as another device capable of transmission. This is because an image file cannot be played back with audio, and when the storage medium holds only the image file, displaying it as a device capable of transmitting audio causes confusion in the user operation. In step S130, the file of the storage medium is displayed based on the currently selected destination device. For example, if the storage medium holds an image file and an audio file, and the TV is selected as the destination device, the user may be confused even if an audio file that cannot be played back on the TV is displayed. Therefore, the process of not displaying the audio file is performed in step S130. Since the user does not need to operate the selection items more than necessary, a simple user interface can be provided. Details of step S130 will be described later. In step S132, file playback mode processing is performed. Here, streaming playback of the currently selected file can be performed, streaming playback can be interrupted, and other files can be played by streaming. When the file reproduction mode ends in step S132, the process returns to step S100. Details of step S132 will be described later.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of selecting a default transmission destination device in step S112 of FIG. In the flow, first, in step S150, the type and number of files are counted. If it is determined in step S152 that there are the most image / video files, the default transmission destination device is determined to be the television in step S154, and the flow ends. If it is not determined in step S152 that the number of image / video files is the largest, it is determined in step S156 whether or not there are the most music / audio files. If it is determined that the number of music / audio files is the largest, in step S158, the transmission destination device is determined to be audio, and the flow ends. If it is determined in step S156 that the file with the largest number of voice / music files is not the most, the transmission destination device is determined to be the television in step S160, and the flow ends. The processing in step S160 may be performed when the number of image / video files is equal to the number of audio / music files.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details when displaying the transmission destination device and the transmittable device in step S128 of FIG. 13 on the display unit. In this flow, first, in step S180, the currently selected destination machine is displayed on the display unit. In step S182, it is determined whether or not all the files included in the storage medium can be reproduced only by the currently selected transmission destination device. If it is determined that the file cannot be reproduced, in step S184, a minimum necessary device for reproducing all the files included in the storage medium is additionally displayed on the display unit. If it is determined in step S182 that playback is possible, the flow ends. As described above, for example, when an image file and an audio file are stored in the storage medium, and the transmission destination device is selected as the television, the television is displayed as the currently selected transmission destination device. Display audio as another device that can transmit. This is because the audio file cannot be reproduced on the television but can be reproduced if it is audio, and it is assumed that the user selects a device other than the transmission device selected by default. When only the image file is stored in the storage medium, only the television is displayed as the transmission destination device, and the audio is not displayed as another device capable of transmission. This is because an image file cannot be played back with audio, and when the storage medium holds only the image file, displaying it as a device capable of transmitting audio causes confusion in the user operation.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of file display based on the currently selected destination device in step S130 of FIG. In this flow, first, in step S190, it is determined whether or not the currently selected transmission destination device is a television. If it is determined to be a television, in step S192, only the image / video file is displayed in the reproduction file list on the display unit, and the flow is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S190 that it is not a television, only the audio / music file is displayed in the reproduction file list of the display unit in step S194, and the flow ends. By the processing performed by this flow, a situation in which the user erroneously selects a file that cannot be reproduced by the transmission destination device is avoided, so that a simpler interface can be provided.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing details of the reproduction mode in step S132 of FIG. In this flow, first, in step S200, a user operation standby state is entered. In step S202, it is determined whether a user operation has been performed. As long as no user operation is performed, a loop process is returned to step S200. If it is determined in step S202 that a user operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S204. In step S204, it is determined whether or not the user operation is a change of a transmission destination device. If it is determined that the user operation is a destination device, the destination device is changed in step S206, and the destination device is powered on in step S208. In step S130, the file stored in the storage medium is displayed based on the currently selected destination device. Details of step S130 are described in detail in the flowchart of FIG. In step S210, the operation mode of the universal WLAN remote controller is adjusted to the destination device, and the process returns to step S200. If it is determined in step S204 that the user operation is not a change of the transmission destination device, it is determined in step S212 whether or not the user operation is a change of a reproduction file. If it is determined that the reproduction file is changed, the reproduction file is changed in step S214, and the process returns to step S200. If it is determined in step S212 that the user operation is not a change of the reproduction file, it is determined in step S216 whether or not the user operation is processing related to file reproduction. Here, the process relating to file reproduction includes, in the case of an image file, a process of enlarging and displaying the image file being reproduced and displayed. In the case of an audio file, in addition to instructing playback of the audio, operations for stopping, fast-forwarding, and rewinding are the processes related to file playback in step S216. When processing related to file playback is performed in step S216, an instruction related to streaming playback is issued in step S218, and the process returns to step S200. For example, if an audio data reproduction instruction is issued in step S216, the reproduction instruction is transmitted from the universal WLAN remote controller to the audio in step S218, and the process returns to step S200 to enter a user operation standby state. In addition, when a voice data stop instruction is issued in step S216, a playback stop signal is transmitted to the audio in step S218, and the process returns to step S200.

If it is determined in step S216 that the user operation is not processing related to file reproduction, it is determined in step S220 whether or not the user operation is an instruction to end the reproduction mode. When the user instructs the end of the playback mode, in step S222, the power of the device that was turned on in step S114 or step S208 is turned off. In this case, since the user is no longer willing to reproduce the data on the storage medium, the device used for the reproduction is turned off. Then, the flow ends. If it is determined in step S220 that the user operation is not an end instruction, it is determined that a button operation unrelated to the playback mode has been performed, the operation is ignored, and the process returns to step S200.

FIG. 18 is a file operation screen displayed on the display unit according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. This file operation screen is displayed on either the display unit selected in steps S124 and S126 in FIG. 13, that is, the display unit of the universal WLAN remote controller or the display unit of the television. The display unit 600 displays a destination device at 602, and the currently selected destination device is designated by an icon 604. A reproduction file included in the storage medium is displayed in a reproduction file list 606, and the currently designated file is designated by an icon 608. The type of file displayed in the reproduction file list is displayed with an icon 610. When the number of reproduction file lists is large, a scroll icon 612 is displayed. The example in FIG. 18 assumes a case where an image file and an audio file are mixed and stored in a storage medium, and a larger number of image files are stored than an audio file. Since a larger number of image files are stored in the storage medium than audio files, the destination device is selected as the television as shown in the default state of the display unit in FIG. Since the transmission destination device is a television, the audio file stored in the storage medium is not displayed in the reproduction file list. When the user changes the transmission destination device to audio from this state, only the audio files that can be reproduced in audio are displayed in the reproduction file list. The arrangement of displayed icons is merely an example. For example, when the file operation screen is displayed on a television, it is naturally possible to devise such that the file operation screen can be displayed while watching a television program.

According to the sixth embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18, the user inserts the storage medium into the television in order to reproduce the image file held by the storage medium, and then uses the storage medium to reproduce the audio file. You will be freed from the trouble of switching to audio.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing details of selection of a default transmission destination device in the seventh embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the sixth embodiment, the seventh embodiment is obtained by replacing FIG. 14 showing the details of step S112 in FIG. 13 with FIG. In FIG. 19, when the flow starts, the operation status of the remote control target device is checked in step S300. If it is determined in step S302 that the television is turned on, the transmission destination device is determined to be the television in step S304, and the flow ends. If it is determined in step S302 that the TV is not turned on, it is determined in step S306 whether or not the audio is turned on. If it is determined that the audio is turned on, the transmission destination is determined as audio, and the flow ends. If it is determined that neither the television power source nor the audio power source is on, the transmission destination device is determined to be the television in step S310, and the flow ends. According to the seventh embodiment, the device that is currently turned on by the user is determined as the default transmission destination device. Usually, since it is considered that the user first turns on the power of the device that reproduces the file to be reproduced, in this embodiment, the default transmission destination is selected according to the user's intention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing details of selection of a default transmission destination in the eighth embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the sixth embodiment, the eighth embodiment is obtained by replacing FIG. 14 showing the details of step S112 of FIG. 13 with FIG. In FIG. 20, the update date and time of the file held in the storage medium is checked in step S330. In step S332, it is determined whether or not the file with the latest update date / time is an image / video file. If it is determined that the image / video file is the newest, the transmission destination device is determined to be the television in step S334, and the flow ends. If it is determined in step S332 that the file with the latest update date / time is not an image / video file, it is determined in step S336 whether the file with the latest update date / time is a voice / music file. If it is determined that the voice / music file is the newest, the destination device is determined to be audio in step S338, and the flow ends. If it is determined in step S336 that the voice / music file is not the newest, the transmission destination device is determined to be the television in step S340, and the flow ends. According to the eighth embodiment, the default transmission destination device is determined according to the file with the newest update date among the files held by the user in the storage medium. Usually, since the file to be used is often a file with a new update date and time, according to this embodiment, the transmission device corresponding to the file that the user wants to reproduce can be selected as the default transmission device.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing details of selection of a default transmission destination in the ninth embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the sixth embodiment, the ninth embodiment is obtained by replacing FIG. 14 showing the details of step S112 in FIG. 13 with FIG. In FIG. 21, the device that transmitted the file included in the storage medium most recently in step S360 is determined as the default transmission device, and the flow ends. According to the ninth embodiment, the device to which the user has transmitted the file held in the storage medium most recently in the past is determined as the transmission destination device. As a result, for example, a user who often sends a file stored in a storage medium to audio is often selected as a destination device, and a default destination according to the user's intention is determined. Will be.

22 to 24 are a flowchart and a file operation screen showing a tenth example according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the tenth embodiment, among FIGS. 13 to 18 used for explaining the sixth embodiment, FIG. 13 is replaced with FIG. 22, FIG. 17 is replaced with FIG. 23, and FIG. .

FIG. 22 is a control flowchart of the universal WLAN remote controller CPU in the tenth embodiment of the present invention. The flow of FIG. 22 is obtained by replacing step S128 and step S130 of FIG. 13 with step S390 of FIG. 22, and replacing step S132 of FIG. 13 with step S392 of FIG. Hereinafter, in the description of FIG. 22, description of components having reference numerals corresponding to those in FIG. 13 is omitted. In FIG. 22, the display for displaying the file operation is selected as either the remote control display unit or the television display unit by either step S124 or step S126. In step S390, the files included in the storage medium are displayed on the selected display, sorted by file update date and time. In addition to the update date and time, this sort can be performed by file name, file type, and the like. Then, a file playback mode for playing back the files sorted in step S392 on the transmission destination device is entered.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing details of the file playback mode in step S392 in FIG. In this flow, first, in step S400, a user operation standby state is set. In step S402, it is determined whether a user operation has been performed. As long as no user operation is performed, a loop process is returned to step S400. If it is determined in step S402 that a user operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S404. If it is determined in step S404 that the user operation is a file change operation, a transmission destination device is set in accordance with the selected file in step S406. For example, if the selected file is an image file, the television is selected as the destination device, and if the selected file is an audio file, the audio is selected as the destination device. In step S408, if the destination device is powered off, a power-on signal is transmitted. In step S410, the remote control mode is set according to the destination device. For example, when the transmission destination device of the selected file is a television, the operation mode of the remote control corresponds to the television, and when the transmission destination of the selection file is the audio, the operation mode of the remote control corresponds to the audio. This frees the user from having to manually change the operation method of the remote controller in accordance with the destination device.

When the remote control mode is set according to the transmission destination device in step S410, the process returns to step S400 to enter a user operation standby state. If it is determined in step S402 that there is a user operation, it is determined in step S404 whether or not the user operation is a file change. If it is determined that the user operation is not a file change, the user is determined in step S412. It is determined whether or not the operation is processing related to file reproduction. Here, the process related to file reproduction includes, in the case of an image file, a process of enlarging and displaying another image file that is being reproduced and displayed. In the case of an audio file, in addition to instructing playback of the audio, operations for stopping, fast-forwarding, and rewinding are the processes related to file playback in step S412. When processing relating to file reproduction is performed in step S412, an instruction relating to streaming reproduction is given in step S414 accordingly, and the process returns to step S400. For example, when an instruction to reproduce audio data is given in step S412, the instruction to reproduce is transmitted from the universal WLAN remote controller to the audio in step S414, and the process returns to step S400 to enter a user operation standby state. In addition, when a voice data stop instruction is issued in step S412, a playback stop signal is transmitted to the audio in step S414, and the process returns to step S400.

If it is determined in step S412 that the user operation is not related to file reproduction, it is determined in step S416 whether or not the user operation is an instruction to end the reproduction mode. When the user instructs the end of the reproduction mode, in step S418, the power of the device turned on in step S114 of FIG. 22 or step S408 of FIG. 23 is turned off. In this case, since the user is no longer willing to reproduce the data on the storage medium, the device used for the reproduction is turned off. Then, the flow ends. If it is determined in step S416 that the user operation is not an end instruction, it is determined that a button operation unrelated to the playback mode has been performed, the operation is ignored, and the process returns to step S400.

FIG. 24 is a file operation screen displayed on the display unit according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention. In this file operation screen, the files sorted in step S390 of FIG. 22 are displayed in the file reproduction list 644 of the display unit 640. Then, the transmission destination device is displayed on the transmission destination device display unit 646. Then, when the user performs a file change operation in step S404 in FIG. 23, the file shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 24 is changed. Here, since the image file is selected in the file reproduction list 644, the transmission destination device is selected as the television.

According to the tenth embodiment of the present invention described above, every time the user changes the transmission file, the destination device is changed, and at the same time, the operation mode of the remote control becomes the operation mode corresponding to the destination device. Since it is not necessary for the user to manually change the operation mode of the remote controller every time a file is operated, an interface that is easy to operate is provided.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing an eleventh example according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 25, the display unit 702 and the router CPU 704 of the router 700 are supplied with power from the power management 28. The router CPU 704 exchanges data with the LANIC 404 via the host IF 70. Since the configuration from the LANIC 404 provided in the router 700 and the wired LAN terminal to the optical cable 8 is the same as that in FIG. 11, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The television 720 transmits the signal received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 722 to the WLANIC 724 and the television CPU 726. Broadcast radio waves received by the tuner 728 are sent to the television CPU 726, encoded by the television CPU 726, and then output from the display / audio output unit 730. The hard disk 729 is a nonvolatile storage device and can record a television program. The television 720 can be remotely operated via a router 700 from a mobile phone 750 having a remote television operation signal generation function. By this remote operation, it is possible to record a program by operating the television from a distance. However, a shield 760 such as an electromagnetic wave appears between the router 700 and the television 720, and communication between the router 700 and the television 720 may not be performed successfully. Therefore, by causing the signal transmitted from the router 700 to be transmitted to the television 720 via the universal WLAN remote controller 530, it is possible to avoid a situation in which communication is not performed successfully. In order to realize this, the universal WLAN remote controller 530 includes a radio wave transmission / reception unit 531 for receiving a signal from the router 700, a WLANIC 535, and a memory 533 for buffering data transmitted from the WLANIC 535. That is, a signal from the cellular phone 750 is transmitted from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 56 of the router 700 to the radio wave transmission / reception unit 531 of the universal WLAN remote controller via the optical cable 8 and the converter 414. Data received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 531 is buffered in the memory 533 via the WLANIC 535, and transmitted again from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 531 to the radio wave transmission / reception unit 722 of the television 720 via the WLAN 535. The data transmitted from the mobile phone 750 to the television 720 may be image data included in the memory 752 of the mobile phone 750 as well as a remote operation signal for remotely operating the television 720.

It is a block diagram which shows the 1st Example of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the detail of the PLC wiring by the single-phase three-wire power line in the Example of FIG. 1, and a noise countermeasure. It is a circuit block diagram which shows the detail of the PLC modem in FIG. 2, and a PLC transmission / reception part with a relevant part. It is a block diagram which shows the 2nd Example of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing details of a bridge circuit between the wireless LAN and PLC in FIG. 4 together with peripheral circuits. It is a flowchart which shows the basic function of CPU in IC of FIG. 1 or FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the fault tolerance process from step S24 of FIG. 6 to step S28. It is a flowchart which shows the basic function of the air-conditioner CPU32 of FIG. 1, or the indoor unit main CPU146 of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows 3rd Example of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the 4th Example of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the 5th Example of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the 6th Example of the communication apparatus in connection with embodiment of this invention. It is a control flowchart of universal WLAN remote control CPU in 6th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of selection of the apparatus of the default transmission destination of step S112 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail at the time of displaying the transmission destination apparatus of FIG.13 and the apparatus which can be transmitted on a display part. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the file display based on the apparatus of the transmission destination currently selected of FIG.13 S130. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the reproduction | regeneration mode of step S132 of FIG. It is the file operation screen displayed on a display part by 6th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of selection of the apparatus of default transmission destination in 7th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of selection of the apparatus of default transmission destination in 8th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of selection of the apparatus of default transmission destination in 9th Example of this invention. It is a control part flowchart which shows universal WLAN remote control CPU in 10th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the file reproduction | regeneration mode of step S392 of FIG. It is a file operation screen displayed on a display part by 10th Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows 11th Example of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Attaching part 17,410 Wired communication signal connection part 56 Wireless LAN communication part 46 Bridge circuit 28,32-, 36,38,44 Main-body part

700 Router 502, 720 Television 531 Universal WLAN Remote 540 Audio

Claims (9)

A remote operation signal generating unit that generates a remote operation signal for operating the first operation target device and the second operation target device, and the remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generation unit as the first operation target device. A remote operation signal transmission unit for transmitting to the second operation target device, a storage medium mounting unit, and data held by the storage medium mounted on the storage medium mounting unit are stored in the first operation target device and the second operation. The data transmission unit for transmitting to the target device, and the power-on state of the first operation target device and the second operation target device, for either the first operation target device or the second operation target device A remote control device comprising: a determination control unit that determines whether to transmit data from the data transmission unit. A remote operation signal generating unit that generates a remote operation signal for operating the first operation target device and the second operation target device, and the remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generation unit as the first operation target device. A remote operation signal transmission unit for transmitting to the second operation target device, a storage medium mounting unit, and data held by the storage medium mounted on the storage medium mounting unit are stored in the first operation target device and the second operation. Depending on whether the data transmission unit for transmitting to the target device and the data transmission performed most recently by the data transmission unit was performed to the first operation target device or the second operation target device, remote control apparatus characterized by comprising a determination control unit that determines whether to transmit the data from the data transmission unit to any of the first operation target device and a second device for operation. The determination control unit determines whether to transmit data from the data transmission unit to the first operation target device or the second operation target device based on data held in the storage medium. The remote control device according to claim 1 or 2 . A remote operation signal generating unit that generates a remote operation signal for operating the first operation target device and the second operation target device, and the remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generation unit as the first operation target device. A remote operation signal transmission unit for transmitting to the second operation target device, a storage medium mounting unit, and data held by the storage medium mounted on the storage medium mounting unit are stored in the first operation target device and the second operation. Based on the data transmission unit for transmitting to the target device and the type of data with the newest update date among the data held by the storage medium, either the first operation target device or the second operation target device And a determination control unit that determines whether to transmit data from the data transmission unit. Whether the remote operation signal generated by the remote operation signal generation unit should be transmitted to the first operation target device or the second operation target device based on data held by the storage medium mounted on the storage medium mounting unit It has a decision unit for determining the remote control signal transmission unit, the remote according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and transmits the remote control signal to the operation target apparatus which the determination unit has determined Operating device. The remote control signal includes a selection operation unit that selects data held by the data holding unit, and the determination unit is configured to select the remote operation signal based on data of a storage medium attached to the storage medium attachment unit selected by the selection operation unit. The remote operation device according to claim 5 , wherein the remote operation signal generated by the generation unit is determined to be transmitted to the first operation target device or the second operation target device. A remote control signal generated by the remote control signal generator is attached to the first operation target device or the second operation target device to be selected, a display unit, and a storage medium mounting unit. The display control part which selectively displays on the said display part the data regarding the operation target apparatus selected by the said selection operation part among the data which the storage medium hold | maintained is provided . The remote control device according to any one of the above . The display control unit causes the display unit to display only data reproducible by the first operation target device when transmitting data held by the storage medium to the first operation target device. The remote control device according to claim 7. The said determination control part displays the operation screen for that on the display part with which a 1st operation object apparatus is provided, when transmitting data to a said 1st operation object apparatus, Any of Claim 1 thru | or 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. The remote control device according to claim.