Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – With meter reading
Reexamination Certificate
1996-12-27
2003-10-21
Horabik, Michael (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Continuously variable indicating
With meter reading
C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06636157
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a remote control system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a remote control system which uses wireless communications to issue command signals.
2. Background of the Invention
Remote control operations are available for various sorts of electronic appliances such as audio/visual appliances, e.g., VTRS, television receivers, and CD players, and also air conditioners, and illumination devices.
Since it is cumbersome to use a dedicated remote commander for each of these devices, methods of operating a large number of appliances by way of a single remote controller have been proposed. One of these single remote commander controlling methods uses a central controller.
In
FIG. 1
, there is shown an example of a remote control system which employs a central controller. This example is adapted to an A/V (audio/visual) system. The A/V system is so constructed that a VTR
2
, a CD player
3
, a TV tuner
4
, and an optical video disk player (simply referred to a “video disk player” hereinafter)
5
are connected via an A/V selector amplifier
6
to a CRT monitor
7
and a speaker
8
.
That is, outputs of picture signals SV from the respective VTR
2
, TV tuner
4
, and video disk player
5
are supplied to a picture input changing unit
6
a
of an A/V selector amplifier
6
and are selected by the picture input changing unit
6
a
. The picture signal SV selected by the picture input changing unit
6
a
, is then supplied to the CRT monitor
7
to output a picture.
L-channel and R-channel audio signals (SA
L
, SL
R
) outputted from the respective appliances of the VTR
2
, CD player
3
, TV tuner
4
, and video disk player
5
are supplied to an audio input by an audio input changing unit
6
b
. Following this, the picture signal selected by the audio input changing unit
6
b
is amplified by an amplifier unit
6
c
, and volume controls are performed in the amplifier unit
6
c
. The resultant audio signals are supplied to an L-channel speaker
8
and a R-channel speaker
8
for outputting sound.
Here, there are provided: (a) a remote controller “R” equipped with operation keys to operate various appliances in such an A/V system; and (b) a central controller
1
capable of receiving a command signal from this remote commander R. The remote commander R transmits an infrared command signal modulated with a predetermined carrier frequency which is read by an internal microcomputer of the central controller. An infrared ray receiving unit la is arranged with this central controller and is capable of receiving the infrared command signal transmitted by the remote command R. central controller
1
is connected via control signal lines “C” to the VTR
2
, CD player
3
, TV tuner
4
, video disk player
5
, A/V selector amplifier
6
, and CRT monitor
7
, respectively. The respective appliances such as the VTR
2
, CD player
3
, TV tuner
4
, video disk player
5
, A/V selector amplifier
6
, and CRT monitor
7
, can thus can execute operations in response to such command signals inputted via the control signal lines “C” and are fetched by system controllers employed in the respective appliances.
The central controller
1
is arranged as shown in, for instance, FIG.
2
. That is, an infrared signal received by the infrared receiving unit la is converted into an electric signal. This electric signal is waveform-shaped and then demodulated to obtain a demodulated signal which is supplied as a command signal to a control unit lb. Reference numeral lb
1
denotes a CPU in the control unit lb, reference numeral lb
2
indicates a ROM for storing various sorts of command signals and operation programs, while reference numeral lb
3
denotes a RAM for storing a command signal and the like, for instance, which is produced by a user. It should be noted that reference numeral lb
4
indicates a clock oscillator for producing an operation clock of the control unit lb.
The CPU lb
1
of the control unit lb reads out either one, or a plurality of required command signals from a ROM lb
2
or a RAM lb
3
in accordance with the operation program based upon the command signal supplied from the infrared ray receiving unit la, and also outputs the read command signals from an output unit lc to an appliance responding to the command signal. The command signal, or signals outputted from the output unit lc are supplied via the control signal line C to the respective appliances, so that the respective appliances are operated in accordance with the appropriate command signal.
In the A/V system shown in
FIG. 1
, for example, when a user manipulates the fast forward key for VTR
2
by way of the remote commander R during the reproducing operation of the VTR
2
, the central controller
1
receives this command signal and outputs a command signal calling for the fast forward operation to the VTR
2
in response to the received command signal, so that this fast forward operation is executed in the VTR
2
.
Also, the central controller
1
may perform various interlocking operation controls in order to simplify user's operation. For instance, CD reproducing play may be enjoyed by merely operating such an operation key indicative of “CD” by way of the remote commander R. That is, upon receipt of the command signal of “CD” transmitted from the remote commander R, the central controller
1
sends a power-ON command to the A/V selector amplifier
6
, and further sends such a command signal for changing the audio input changing unit
6
b
into a CD input terminal. Furthermore, subsequently, the central controller
1
transmits a power-ON command to the CD player
3
, and then transmits a CD-reproduction command. Under this control, a CD reproduced sound is generated by the speakers
8
.
As previously explained, when the central controller
1
receives one command signal sent from the remote controller R, the central controller
1
executes a series of control operation with respect to the relevant appliance, so that operations executed by the user are greatly simplified.
However, there is a problem that when such a central controller
1
is utilized, the respective appliances must be connected via the control signal lines “C”, and thus the system setting is very cumbersome. The connecting operations and modifications in the connecting operations are troublesome because the number of signal wiring lines is increased.
Furthermore, to perform connections hardware/software processing arrangements capable of processing the control input terminals corresponding to the respective appliances and the command signals derived from the control input terminals, are necessary. As a result, there is a limitation to the number of appliances which can be utilized in such an A/V system. Another problem is that A/V appliances which are manufactured by different manufactures cannot be used.
To solve these problems and obviate the wiring work involved with the control signal lines C, it has been proposed to use infrared command signals which are transmitted not only between the remote controller R to the central controller
1
, but also between the central controller
1
to the respective appliances.
However, the infrared command signals usually have frequencies on the order of 30 to 60 KHz. As a result, if this transmission method is executed without any modification, then the infrared command signal transmitted from the remote commander R to the central controller
1
would interfere with the infrared command signal outputted from the central controller
1
, resulting in signal interference.
As a consequence, it is required to temporally shift the transmission of the infrared command signal from the remote commander R to the central controller
1
with respect to the transmission of the infrared command signal from the central controller
1
to the respective appliances. For instance, the central controller
1
should execute such a process for outputting the command signal to the relevant appliance after confirming that a user releases the opera
Horabik Michael
Kananen, Esq. Ronald P.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Sony Corporation
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