Remote control system for audio/video devices

Claim 2

(2) A transmitter for a remote control apparatus described in accordance with the claim 1, wherein the modulating means comprises an oscillating means for generat­ing the modulating signals for effecting the modulating operation, a modulating means for modulating the output of the oscillating means by the data code, the transmitting means having a light emitting means for converting the data codes modulated by the modulating means into infrared rays so as to send them.

Claim 3

(3) A transmitter for a remote control apparatus described in accordance with the claim 1, wherein the data code depends upon the depressed key only, and also is the data showing only the operation contents of the device.

Claim 4

(4) A transmitter for a remote control apparatus described in accordance with the claim 1, wherein the data code depends upon the depressed key only, and also is the data showing only the device to be controlled.

Claim 5

(5) A transmitter for a remote control apparatus comprising a keyboard matrix composed of a plurality of keys for inputting instructions, an inputting key discriminating means for discriminating which key of the keyboard matrix has been depressed, a code generating means for generating a data code corresponding to the key discriminated by the input key discriminating means, an oscillating means for generating the modulating signals for effecting the modula­tion, a modulating means for modulating the output of the oscillating means by the data code, a light emitting means for converting the data code modulated by the modulating means into the infrared ray so as to send it, the data code being the data which depends only on the parameter of the depressed key.

Claim 6

(6) A transmitter for a remote control apparatus described in accordance with the claim 5, wherein the data code depends upon the depressed key only, and also is the data showing only the operation contents of the device.

Claim 7

(7) A transmitter for a remote control apparatus described in accordance with the claim 5, wherein the data code depends upon the depressed key only, and also is the data showing only the device to be controlled.

Claim 8

(8) A receiver for a remote control apparatus comprising a code decoding means for decoding the contents of the data code transmitted from the transmitter, a remote control mode storing means for storing a remote control mode showing a mode as to which device the transmitter controls at present, a key code comparing means for judging whether the data code is a data for renewing the remote control mode or is a data for controlling the device, with the outputs of the code decoding means being made inputs, if the data code is a data for renewing the remote control mode, so as to accommodate the new remote control mode in the remote control mode storing means to simultaneously transfer a renewal data for renewing the remote control mode into the other device composing the system, and if the data code is a data for controlling the device, so as to output it as it is, a remote control mode comparing means for judging whether the remote control mode at present is a mode for controlling its own device or the other device when the data code is a data for controlling the data, with the outputs of the key code comprising means being made inputs, if the remote control mode is a mode for controlling its own device, to transfer the data code into the device controlling means, and if the the remote control mode is a mode for controlling the other device, to transfer the data code into the other device, the device controlling means controls the remote control mode storing means so that the renewal data from the device device may be inputted to renew the remote control mode, and also, controls the device in accordance with the data code from the remote control mode comparing means or the data code transferred from the other device.

Claim 9

(9) A receiver for a remote control apparatus comprising a light receiving means for light-receiving the infrared ray signals from the transmitter to convert it into electric signals, a demodulating means for converting the electric signals of the output of the light receiving means into data codes, a code decoding means for decoding the contents of the data code demodulated by the demodulating means, a remote control mode storing means for storing a remote control mode showing a mode as to which device the transmitter controls at present, a key code comparing means for judging whether the data code is a data for renewing the remote control mode or is a data for controlling the device, with the outputs of the code decoding means being made inputs, if the data code is a data for renewing the remote control mode, so as to accommodate the new remote control mode in the remote control mode storing means to simultane­ously transfer a renewal data for renewing the remote control mode with respect to the remote control reception part of the other device and the communication control part for effecting the communication through the information transfer path composing the system, and if the data code is a data for controlling the device, so as to output it as it is, a remote control mode comparing means for judging whether the remote control mode at present is a mode for controlling its own device or the other device when the data code is a data for controlling the data, with the outputs of the key code comparing means being made inputs, if the remote control mode is a mode for controlling its own device, to transfer the data code into the device control­ling means, and if the remote control mode is a mode for controlling the other device, to transfer the data code into the communication control part, the device controlling means controls the remote control mode storing means so that the renewal data from the device device through the information transfer path and the communication control part may be inputted to renew the remote control mode, and also, con­trols the device in accordance with the data code from the remote control mode comparing means or the data code trans­ferred from the other device, the communication control part transfers the renewal data or data code for controlling the device into the other device through the information trans­fer path.

Claim 10

(10) A remote control method comprising the following steps in the remote controlling operation of a system which is composed of a plurality of devices equipped with an information transmission path for effecting the data commu­nication, a communication control means for effecting the data communication with a sequential frame through the information transmitting path and the receiver of the remote control apparatus, and provided with the transmitter of the remote control apparatus for transmitting the data into the receiver of the remote control apparatus, a) a step of, when the receiver of the remote control apparatus has received the data code for renewing the remote control mode from the transmitter of the remote control apparatus, renewing the remote control mode, which is stored within the receiver of the remote control apparatus, showing a device to be controlled among the devices composing the system, into the remote control mode corresponding into the data code, and simultaneously, transmitting instructions for renewing the remote control mode with respect to the receiv­ers of all the other remote control apparatuses connected with the system by way of the information transmission path, b) a step of, when either one among a plurality of devices connected with the information transmission path has been operated, transmitting the instructions for renewing the remote control mode into the remote control mode correspond­ing to the device operation with respect to the receivers of the all the remote control devices connected with the system by way of the information transfer path from the device, and c) a step of, when the contents of the data code received from the transmitter of the remote control roll device are the instruction for controlling the device, effecting the given operation corresponding to the data code in a case where the remote control mode stored in the receiver of the remote control apparatus which has received the data code is a mode of controlling its own device, and transferring the data code with respect to the corresponding device by way of the information transfer path in a case where the remote control mode is a mode of controlling the device except for its own device.

Claim 11

(11) A receiver of a remote control apparatus in a system which is composed of a plurality of devices equipped with an information transmission path for effecting the data communication, a communication processing means for effect­ing the data communication through the information transmit­ting path, and the receiver of the remote control apparatus, and provided with the transmitter of the remote control apparatus for transmitting the data into the receiver of the remote control apparatus, comprising a demodulating means for converting into the data code the signal from the transmitter of the remote control apparatus, a data code processing means judges whether the standard command corre­sponding to the contents of the data code exists in the transmission by the information transmission path, if the data code is the data code addressed to the other device, with the outputs of the demodulating means being made inputs so as to output the data code if the standard command exists, a format converting means for converting the data code into the format using the standard command with the outputs of the data code processing means being made inputs, and outputting it into the communication processing means.

Claim 12

(12) A receiver of a remote control apparatus in a system which is composed of a plurality of devices equipped with an information transmission path for effecting the data communication, a communication processing means for effect­ing the data communication through the information transmit­ting path, and the receiver of the remote control apparatus, and provided with the transmitter of the remote control apparatus for transmitting the data into the receiver of the remote control apparatus, comprising a demodulating means for converting into the data code the signal from the transmitter of the remote control apparatus, the data code processing means judges whether or not the data code is a decodable remote control data code with the outputs of the demodulating means being made inputs so as to output it, a format converting means for adding into the data code the identification data showing a format classification corre­sponding to the format form of the data code so as to output it into the communication processing means in the conversion into a format suitable for the transfer of the data code by the way of the information transfer path when the data code is judged to be impossible to be decoded with the outputs of the data code processing means being made inputs.

Claim 13

(13) A receiver of a remote control apparatus in a system which is composed of a plurality of devices equipped with an information transmission path for effecting the data communication, a communication processing means for effect­ing the data communication through the information transmit­ting path, and the receiver of the remote control apparatus, and provided with the transmitter of the remote control apparatus for transmitting the data into the receiver of the remote control apparatus, comprising a demodulating means for converting into the data code the signal from the transmitter of the remote control apparatus, a data code processing means judges whether or not the data code is a decodable remote control data code with the outputs of the demodulating means being made inputs so as to output it, a format converting means for adding into the data code the identification data showing a format classification corre­sponding to the format form of the data code so as to output it into the communication processing means in the conversion into a format suitable for the transfer of the data code by the way of the information transfer path when the data code is judged to be impossible to be decoded with the outputs of the data code processing means being made inputs, a device search means for searching a maker code with the manufacture maker names of the plurality of devices connected with the information transmission path being coded, and the address, a maker code accommodating means for accommodating the maker code searched by the device search means, and the address, a maker code comparing means for extracting the maker code from the data code when the identification data shows the given data code, outputting into the communication process­ing means the address data corresponding to the maker code which agrees through the comparison with the maker code to be accommodated in the maker code accommodating means, the communication processing means outputs the data code input­ted from the format converting means with respect to the device in accordance with the address data outputted from the maker code comparing means.

Claim 14

(14) A remote control method for controlling the device by the data code transferred from the receiver of the remote control apparatus described in accordance with the claims 11 through 13, comprising the following steps; a) a step of judging whether or not the contents of the frame is a command or a data when the respective types of frames including the frames sent by the way of the informa­tion transmission path have been received, b) a step of judging whether or not the information the data has is a remote control data when the contents of the received frame has been judged to be a data, c) a step of judging whether or not its own station is a format classification capable of the corresponding operation when the contents of the received frame has been judged to be a remote control data, and d) a step of effecting an inverse conversion into a remote control data code string of the corresponding types the received data string when its own station has been judged to be a format classification capable of the corresponding operation, and e) a step of sending the inversely conversed remote control data code string into the system control means of its own station.