Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – With meter reading
Patent
1988-04-25
1989-12-05
Yusko, Donald J.
Communications: electrical
Continuously variable indicating
With meter reading
34082569, 3581941, 358 86, H04N 5782, H04N 7087
Patent
active
048855790
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to television receivers and video recorders, commonly known as video tape recorders (VTR) or video cassette recorders (VCR). The essential components of a video recorder are the electromechanical components including the tape drive mechanism, control relays and electromagnets, magnetic heads and head scanning mechanism. Secondly there are the electronic circuits for processing the video signals being recorded or played back. Thirdly there is the control unit which controls the electromechanical components and the electronic circuit. The control unit may be very simple or provided with many facilities for scheduled recording, various modes of replay and so on. In any event, some means of providing control inputs have to be provided and, at the simplest, these may consist solely of front panel controls. However, it is well known to provide domestic video recorders with remote control units which either plug into the recoder or transmit infrared or ultrasonic control signals to a sensor on the recorder.
Television receivers ae also well known with remote control units as well as front panel controls.
In the professional field it is known to control recorders by transmitting control signals along with the wanted information signal. The recorder responds appropriately to the received control signals. See for example GB 2126002.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to make it possible to add such facilities to domestic receivers and video recorders, in particular as an add on facility for existing receivers and recorders.
Video recorders are known from EP 0 133985 and EP 0 122626 which have two remote control units. The first unit comprises a bar code reader responsive to television program schedule data input by the user to enter such data in a program memory. The second unit receives control signals accompanying the broadcast signal and compares these with the data in the program memory to determine the times at which the video recorder is switched on and off. The first unit simply automates the programming of the video recorder.
The present invention provides a video recorder including electromechanical components, an electronic circuit and a control unit therefor, a remote control unit responsive to user input signals to provide control signals to the control unit and a second remote control unit responsive to received control signals accompanying a received television signal, to decode the received control signals and provide to the control unit control signals which match those provided by the first mentioned remote control unit.
The present invention also provides a television receiving apparatus including an electronic circuit and a control unit therefor, a remote control unit responsive to user input signals to provide control signals to the control unit and a second remote control unit responsive to received control signals accompanying a received television signal, to decode the received control signals and provide to the control unit control signals which match those provided by the first mentioned remote control unit.
In the present invention, the two remote control units can act independently as parallel, alternative means of control. Therefore the second unit can be provided as an add-on facility to an existing video recorder or receiver.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows the main components of a video recorder,
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the physical set-up,
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an off-air remote controller, and
FIG. 4 shows a known control signal format.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The video recorder 20 shown in FIG. 1 comprises the electromechanical components 10, the electronic circuits 11 and a main control unit 12. The input to and output from the electronic circuits are symbolised by an aerial 14 and a connection 19 to a television
REFERENCES:
patent: 4706121 (1987-11-01), Young
patent: 4728949 (1988-03-01), Platte et al.
patent: 4743968 (1988-05-01), Mogi
patent: 4758501 (1988-05-01), Long
Hofmann, Von Gunter et al., "Videotext Programmiert Videorecorder", Journal Rundfunktech Mitteilungen, Jan. 26, 1982, 254-257.
Kruger, H. Eckhard, "Das Digitale Fernshkennungssystem ZPS", Nachrichtentechnische Zeitschrift N.T.Z., vol. 35 (Jun. 1982), No. 6.
British Broadcasting Corporation
O'Connell Robert F.
Palladino Brian
Yusko Donald J.
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