JP2002188846A - Remote controller for air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote controller for an air conditioner wherein operability is further improved in response to the installation of many operation buttons to the remote controller or a trend of an increase of liquid crystal display screens. SOLUTION: An apparatus of the present invention comprises a remote controller 1 for remotely controlling an air conditioner provided with a transmission/reception section where operation conditions of the air conditioner are set, which conditions are in turn transmitted in the form of an infrared ray signal, and the air conditioner in which operation thereof is achieved on the basis of a reception signal from the foregoing remote controller 1 and which sends operation information to the remote controller 1 in the form of an infrared ray signal. In the apparatus, the remote controller 1 comprises a liquid crystal display section 2 for displaying the foregoing operation information for each item, and a remote control operation section 3 corresponding to display contents on the liquid crystal display section 2. The liquid crystal display section 2 is adapted to light partly or in division depending upon back light.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device for an air conditioner, and more particularly, to the installation of a large number of operation buttons on a remote control and / or the operability in response to a tendency to increase the liquid crystal display surface. The structure is further improved.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional remote control device for an air conditioner, for example, as described in JP-A-9-182178, a "remote control device" for remotely controlling an air conditioner (equipment) is known. There were cases. That is, a first display unit that displays the operation mode of the air conditioner (equipment) with characters other than the liquid crystal element, and a portion corresponding to the first display unit that is lit by the liquid crystal element according to the operation mode. By providing a second display unit for displaying, and making the second display unit a different symbol for each of the operation modes, the operation mode and the symbol can be associated one-to-one, and the user can easily This has the effect that the driving mode can be recognized quickly.

However, the second display section turns on the entire liquid crystal area, and as the area becomes wider, the liquid crystal area corresponding to the operation buttons becomes more difficult to understand. When setting, the remote control liquid crystal display corresponding to the remote control operation part is partially lit and / or split so that the operability due to the installation of many operation buttons on the remote control and / or the increase of the liquid crystal display surface does not deteriorate. It was desired to make a device such as turning on the light.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, in the present invention, the operability is further improved in response to the installation of a large number of operation buttons on a remote controller and / or the tendency to increase the liquid crystal display surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote controller for an air conditioner.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a remote controller for remotely controlling an air conditioner by setting operating conditions of the air conditioner and transmitting the set operating conditions by infrared signals. A remote controller that operates based on a signal received from the remote controller, and includes an air conditioner that includes a transmission / reception unit that transmits operation information to the remote controller as an infrared signal. It comprises a liquid crystal display section for displaying information for each item and a remote control operation section corresponding to the display contents of the liquid crystal display section. The liquid crystal display section is partially or partially lit by a backlight.

Further, the liquid crystal display section for partially lighting or split lighting is constituted by a plurality of lighting areas.

[0007] Further, the liquid crystal display section can be turned on by operating the remote control operation section corresponding to the display content of the driving information.

Further, the liquid crystal display section can be automatically turned off after a predetermined period of time after being turned on.

[0009] Further, a lighting color for lighting the liquid crystal display section can be selected from a plurality of colors.

Further, the liquid crystal display section comprising the plurality of lighting areas has a configuration in which the lighting colors are color-coded according to the display areas.

Further, the lighting colors, which are color-coded according to the display area, can be arbitrarily switched between a plurality of colors.

Further, the liquid crystal display section is configured to be able to blink by operating the remote control operation section corresponding to the display content of the driving information.

[0013] Further, when receiving a signal from the air conditioner, the lighting area related to the received signal is partially lit, or the divided lighting area related to the received signal is divided and lit. ing.

Further, at the time of receiving a signal from the air conditioner, the lighting color of the liquid crystal display is switched according to the content of the received signal.

The switching of the lighting color is performed according to the state quantity, for example, if the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature is large, the lighting color is red, and if the difference is small, the lighting color is green. Has become.

Further, the liquid crystal display section is partially lit or dividedly lit by a plurality of LEDs.
D is arranged at a position different from the zebra lines on both sides of the liquid crystal display.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as examples. 1 is an explanatory diagram according to claims 1 to 3 of a remote controller for an air conditioner according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram according to claim 4, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram according to claim 5. 4 is an explanatory view according to claim 6, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view according to claim 7, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view according to claim 8, and FIG. 7 is claim 9 or claim 9. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram according to claim 11, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram according to claim 12, and FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a remote control device according to the present invention for setting operating conditions of an air conditioner, transmitting the set operating conditions by an infrared signal, and remotely controlling the air conditioner having a transmitting / receiving unit. 2 constitutes the remote control device 1;
A liquid crystal display unit 3 for displaying the operation information for each item is a remote control operation unit provided on each side corresponding to the liquid crystal display unit 2, and the remote control device 1 is not shown, but is An openable / closable lid is provided, and a part of the remote control operation unit 3 is exposed or concealed as needed when the lid is closed and when the lid is opened.

Next, an embodiment will be described below with reference to the respective drawings according to the first to twelfth aspects. The remote control device 1 includes the liquid crystal display unit 2 that displays the driving information item by item as described above, and the remote control operation unit 3 corresponding to the display content of the liquid crystal display unit 2,
As shown by the shaded portion shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display unit 2 is configured to be partially lit or dividedly lit by a backlight, whereby, for example, the temperature setting operation button 3 shown in FIG. The air conditioning temperature is set to a predetermined temperature (26
° C), the temperature setting display screen 2 is turned on, and the set temperature (26 ° C) can be clearly recognized by the setter. Then, the operation mode setting button 3 shown in FIG. When the operation mode is set to dry operation, the operation mode display screen 2 lights up and the setter can clearly see that the operation mode is set to dry operation. To improve.

The liquid crystal display section 2, which is partially or partially lit, comprises a plurality of lighting areas such as the temperature setting display screen 2 and the operation mode display screen 2, and the remote controller corresponding to the display contents of the operation information. Operation unit 3
2 and, as shown in FIG. 2, the display can be automatically turned off after a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) after turning on the light. 2 can be turned on in a fine and spot-like manner by using the remote control operation unit 3 corresponding to the display content of the liquid crystal display unit 2. Even for women, the remote control device becomes familiar and easy to use, and since the display content of the driving information is visually recognized, it is not left in a lit state, so that there is no wasteful consumption of the dry battery.

The lighting color for lighting the liquid crystal display unit 2 can be selected from a plurality of colors as shown in FIG. 3, so that the liquid crystal display unit 2 is turned on according to the user's preference. It becomes possible to select a lighting color, for example, when lighting display of "dry operation" as operating information on the operation mode display screen 2, since the lighting color of this display area can be selected from red, orange or yellow, etc.
The value of the product is increased as a result of respecting the user's preference and sensitivity.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal display unit 2 composed of the plurality of lighting areas is color-coded according to the display area, so that the driving information can be visually recognized in a color-coded state for each item. For example, the two-way reception and transmission area 2 of the air conditioner body and the remote control device
In red, temperature setting display area 2 in green, operation mode display area 2 in yellow, air flow setting display area 2
Is colored orange and the wind direction setting display area 2 is colored blue, so that each of these display areas 2 can be easily visually recognized, and the remote control device having multiple functions is more convenient to use and the operability is further improved.

The lighting colors, which are classified by the display area 2, can be arbitrarily switched among a plurality of colors as shown in FIG. 5, so that the backlight display color of the temperature setting display screen 2 can be changed. , Green, red, orange, yellow or the like can be set to an arbitrary backlight display color, which is convenient. In the same manner as described above, for example, the backlight display color of the two-way reception / transmission area 2 is red, the temperature setting display area 2 is green, the operation mode display area 2 is yellow, and the air volume setting display area Since the display area 2 and the air volume setting display area 2 can be set to orange, respectively, the display contents of each of the display areas 2 can be visually recognized accurately, so that usability is improved and operability is improved.

Further, since the liquid crystal display section 2 can be displayed in a blinking manner by operating the remote control operation section 3 corresponding to the display content of the driving information, for example, the temperature setting display screen 2 shown in FIG. The display informs that the temperature is being set, and at the same time allows the set temperature to be more clearly recognized, which is convenient.

Also, when receiving a signal from the air conditioner, the lighting area 2 associated with the received signal is partially lit, or the divided lighting area 2 associated with the received signal is illuminated separately. For example, as shown in FIG.
By illuminating the large section or the small section of the two-way reception / transmission area 2 while operating the operation button 3, it becomes possible to selectively light up and display the items to be set in the operation contents. Increase.

When a signal is received from the air conditioner, the lighting color of the liquid crystal display unit is changed to red depending on the content of the received signal. Is configured to be switched in accordance with the state quantity, such as green, so that, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, after the transmission and reception of the bidirectional communication at room temperature, the room temperature has not reached the set temperature. In this case, the backlight display color in the room temperature display area is illuminated in red, and when the room temperature is near the set temperature, the backlight display color in the room temperature display area is lit in green. Differences) are displayed in different colors to make them easier to understand.

Further, the liquid crystal display unit 2 includes a plurality of LEDs.
By partially lighting or split lighting by (1) to (4), the same plurality of LEDs (1) to (4) are arranged at positions different from the zebra lines on both sides of the liquid crystal display unit 2, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition, the area A is lit by lighting a plurality of LEDs ■ to エ リ ア, and the area B is lit by lighting a plurality of LEDs ■ to ■
A plurality of LEDs 表示 to 点灯 are turned on so that the area C can be backlit, respectively. At the x position shown in FIG. 9, the zebra line must be provided at the position indicated by the broken line, so that the space becomes large. , ●, there is no zebra wire, so that the space for installing the plurality of LEDs ■ to ■ can be saved.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A remote control device for an air conditioner, in which operability is further improved in response to the installation of a large number of operation buttons on the remote control and / or the tendency to increase the liquid crystal display surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram according to claims 1 to 3 of a remote control device for an air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view according to claim 4 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view according to claim 5 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view according to claim 6 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram according to claim 7 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view according to claim 8 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view according to claim 9 or claim 10 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view according to claim 11 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view according to claim 12 of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote control device 2 Liquid crystal display part 3 Remote control operation part ■ ～ ■ Multiple LEDs

Claims (12)

[Claims] A remote control device for remotely controlling an air conditioner by setting operating conditions of an air conditioner, transmitting the set operating conditions by an infrared signal, and performing operation based on a signal received from the remote control device. And an air conditioner having a transmission / reception unit for transmitting operation information to the remote control device by an infrared signal, wherein the remote control device displays the operation information item by item, and the liquid crystal display unit. A remote control operation unit corresponding to the display content of (1), wherein the liquid crystal display unit is partially lit or dividedly lit by a backlight. 2. The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display section that performs partial lighting or split lighting includes a plurality of lighting areas. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display unit can be turned on by an operation of the remote control operation unit corresponding to the display content of the driving information. Machine remote control device. 4. The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the liquid crystal display unit can be automatically turned off after a predetermined time after turning on. 5. The remote controller for an air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein a lighting color for lighting the liquid crystal display unit can be selected from a plurality of colors. 6. The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the liquid crystal display section including the plurality of lighting areas is color-coded according to the display area. 7. The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the lighting colors classified by display areas can be arbitrarily switched between a plurality of colors. 8. The air according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display unit is configured to be able to perform blinking display by operating the remote control operation unit corresponding to the display content of the driving information. A remote control device for the harmonic machine. 9. When receiving a signal from an air conditioner, the lighting area associated with a received signal is partially lit, or
7. The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the divided lighting area related to a reception signal is divided and lit. 10. The lighting color of the liquid crystal display unit is switched according to the content of a received signal when a signal is received from an air conditioner.
The remote controller for an air conditioner according to claim 4, claim 5, or claim 6. 11. The switching of the lighting color according to the state quantity, for example, when the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature is large, the lighting color is red, and when the difference is small, the lighting color is green. The remote controller for an air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein: 12. The liquid crystal display section is partially or partially lit by a plurality of LEDs, and the plurality of LEDs
11. A remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is disposed at a position different from a zebra line on both sides of the liquid crystal display section. .