JP2009177230A - Remote controller, remote control system, and method of controlling remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the handleability of a remote controller in the dark. <P>SOLUTION: The remote controller includes an illuminance measuring means measuring illuminance and a lighting means lighting when the luminance measured by the luminance measuring means is less than a predetermined threshold. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for remotely controlling a device.

  In general, a remote control device (hereinafter referred to as “remote control”) is attached to a device as a device for remotely controlling various devices such as a lighting fixture, an air conditioner, and a door lock device.

  When the place where this remote control is used is dark, the operation of the remote control may be hindered. In the dark it is difficult to find the remote control itself. In addition, even if a remote controller is found, the visibility of the operation buttons is reduced, and it may be difficult to operate.

  In order to solve these problems, several techniques for improving the visibility or convenience of the remote control have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a lamp capable of visually recognizing a control direction (from ON to OFF or from OFF to ON) is provided on a remote controller.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for lighting a lamp of a remote control when locked when the door lock mechanism is remotely operated.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for improving visibility in the dark by using a phosphorescent material for an operation button of a remote control.
JP 2005-175817 A JP-A-7-324534 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-211204

  However, in the remote control disclosed in Patent Document 1 or 2, since the lamp is lit after some operation, the problem that the remote control itself is difficult to find in the dark still remains. Even if a remote control is found, the lamp does not light unless the operation is started, so it is difficult to know which button to operate first.

  Further, in the remote control disclosed in Patent Document 3, the luminance decreases with time, and the accumulated light disappears in about several hours, so that high visibility lasts only for a relatively short time. For this reason, there has been a problem that it is difficult to operate the remote control in a dark place.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving the convenience of a remote controller in a dark place.

  In order to achieve the above object, a remote control device of the present invention is a remote control device for remotely controlling a device, wherein illuminance measuring means for measuring illuminance, and the illuminance measured by the illuminance measuring means is a predetermined value. Lighting means for lighting when the threshold value is not reached.

  The remote control system of the present invention is a remote control system for remotely controlling a device, measuring information indicating illuminance, and transmitting the information indicating the measured illuminance, and the illuminance transmitted by the transmitter. A remote control device having receiving means for receiving the information to be indicated, and lighting means for turning on when the illuminance received by the receiving means is less than a predetermined threshold.

  A control method for a remote control device according to the present invention is a remote control device control method for controlling a remote control device for remotely controlling a device, where the illuminance is measured and the measured illuminance is less than a predetermined threshold. The lighting means provided in the remote control device is turned on.

  According to the present invention, the convenience of the remote controller in a dark place can be improved.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of a remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment. The remote controller 1 is, for example, a remote control device for remotely controlling a lighting fixture. Referring to FIG. 1, the remote controller 1 includes an optical sensor 10, a notification lamp 20, and an operation unit 30.

The optical sensor 10 measures the illuminance at the place where the remote controller 1 is placed. As the optical sensor 10, for example, a photodiode or a phototransistor can be used. In that case, the optical sensor 10 measures illuminance by a method of converting light energy into electric energy by a photoelectric effect. The illuminance is obtained in units such as lux (lx), lumen per square meter (lm / m ² ), and the like.

  The notification lamp 20 is lit to increase the visibility of the remote controller 1 and the operation unit 30. The remote controller 1 determines whether or not the illuminance measured by the optical sensor 10 is less than a predetermined threshold, and turns on the notification lamp 20 when the illuminance is less than the predetermined threshold. By turning on the notification lamp 20, the visibility of the remote controller 1 itself in the darkness is improved. The notification lamp 20 is disposed near the operation unit 30. For this reason, the visibility of the operation unit 30 in the darkness is improved by turning on the notification lamp 20. Power is supplied to the notification lamp 20 by a battery such as a dry battery included in the remote controller 1, and a miniature light bulb, a light emitting diode, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), or the like can be used as the notification lamp 20.

  The operation unit 30 is operated by a user in order to control a lighting device that is a device to be operated. The operation unit 30 includes lighting buttons 31, 32, 33 and a light-off button 34 as operation buttons. When the lighting buttons 31, 32, and 33 are pressed, the luminaire is turned on with three levels of light, large, medium, and small. When the turn-off button 34 is pressed, the lighting fixture is turned off.

  Next, the operation of the remote controller 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the lamp lighting process of the remote controller 1. First, when the remote controller 1 is driven by turning on the power, the optical sensor 10 measures the illuminance (step S10). Then, the remote controller 1 determines whether or not the illuminance measured by the optical sensor 10 is smaller than a predetermined threshold value (step S20). When it is determined that the value is smaller than the predetermined threshold (step S20: YES), the remote controller 1 turns on the notification lamp 20 (step S30). When it is determined that the value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (step S20: NO), the remote controller 1 turns off the notification lamp 20 (step S40). After step S30 or step S40, the remote controller 1 ends the lamp lighting process. In addition to the process shown in FIG. 2, the remote controller 1 performs a process of remotely controlling an operation target device based on an operation of the operation unit 30 by a user.

  Next, an operation example of the remote controller 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the remote controller 1. Referring to FIG. 5A, the place where the remote controller 1 is placed is relatively bright, and the illuminance measured by the optical sensor 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S20: NO). In this case, the notification lamp 20 is turned off (step S40).

  On the other hand, referring to FIG. 3B, the place where the remote controller 1 is placed is relatively dark, and the illuminance measured by the optical sensor 10 is smaller than a predetermined threshold (step S20: YES). In this case, the notification lamp 20 is turned on (step S30).

  As described above, when the place where the remote controller 1 is placed is dark, the notification lamp 20 is turned on, so that the visibility of the remote controller 1 itself in the dark place is improved. Further, since the operation unit 30 is illuminated by the light emitted from the notification lamp 20, the visibility of the operation unit 30 in a dark place is improved.

  When using a phosphorescent material for the operation buttons on the remote control, the phosphorescent light lasts for only a few hours, but for example, when lighting a light emitting diode with a dry battery, turn on the light emitting diode for several tens of hours or more. In addition, high visibility of the remote controller 1 and the operation unit 30 is ensured for a long time.

  According to the present embodiment, the optical sensor 10 measures the illuminance, and the notification lamp 20 is turned on based on the illuminance measured by the optical sensor 10. For this reason, the visibility of the remote control in a dark place is ensured, and the convenience of the remote control is improved.

  Note that the remote controller 1 according to the above-described embodiment is not limited to wirelessly controlling the device, but may be a wired type.

  Further, the amount of light when the notification lamp 20 is turned on may be changed based on the measured illuminance. For example, the light amount of the notification lamp 20 may be increased as the room is darker and the illuminance measured by the light sensor 10 is smaller, and the light amount of the notification lamp 20 may be decreased as the room is brighter and the illuminance measured by the light sensor 10 is larger. .

  The operation unit 30 is not limited to a button, and may include a switch and a touch panel.

All or part of the remote operation processing shown in FIG. 2 can also be realized by a computer program.
(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is an external view showing a configuration of the remote controller 2 according to the present embodiment. Referring to the figure, the remote controller 2 has the same configuration as the remote controller 1 according to the first embodiment except that the notification lamp 20 is incorporated in the operation unit 30.

  The notification lamp 20 according to the present embodiment includes lamps 21, 22, 23, and 24. These lamps are provided at the positions of the operation buttons 31, 32, 33, and 34, respectively, and light these buttons. That is, the operation buttons 31, 32, 33, and 34 themselves are lit.

  According to the present embodiment, the notification lamp 20 is incorporated in the operation unit 30 and the operation unit 30 itself is lit. For this reason, the visibility of the operation unit 30 is further improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the color and light amount of the lamp that is lit may be changed according to the type of the operation button. For example, when the button to be lit is blue, the button to be turned off is lit red, and the operation buttons 31, 32, 33 are turned on with three levels of light, large, medium, and small, the button 31 emits light. The amount is maximized, and the light emission amounts of the 32 and 33 buttons are relatively small.
(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is an external view showing a configuration of the remote controller 3 according to the present embodiment. Referring to the figure, the remote controller 3 has the same configuration as the remote controller 1 according to the first embodiment except that it includes an infrared sensor 40.

  The infrared sensor 40 detects whether or not a human body has approached within a predetermined distance. For example, the infrared sensor 40 detects the approach of the human body by detecting infrared rays emitted from the human body using the pyroelectric effect.

  The remote controller 3 turns on the notification lamp 20 when the infrared sensor 40 detects the approach of a human body and the illuminance is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

  Next, the operation of the remote controller 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a lamp lighting process executed by the remote controller 3. Referring to the figure, the operation of the remote controller 3 is the same as that of the remote controller 1 except that step S10 is executed after executing step T10.

  First, when the power is turned on, the infrared sensor 40 detects whether or not a human body has approached within a predetermined distance (step T10). When it is detected that the human body has approached within the predetermined distance (step T10: YES), the remote controller 3 executes step S10. When it is not detected that the human body approaches within the predetermined distance (step T10: NO), the remote controller 3 ends the lamp lighting process.

  Even when there is no human being near the remote control, if the configuration is such that the notification lamp 20 continues to be lit in a dark place, the battery of the remote control is consumed quickly. On the other hand, if the configuration is such that the human body is detected and the notification lamp 20 is lit only when a person is nearby even in a dark place as in the present embodiment, the battery consumption of the remote control can be suppressed. This increases the time during which high visibility can be ensured.

According to the present embodiment, the notification lamp 20 is turned on when it is detected that there is a human body within a predetermined distance and the illuminance is smaller than the predetermined threshold. For this reason, the convenience of the remote control in a dark place can be improved with energy saving.
(Fourth embodiment)
A fourth embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is an external view showing the configuration of the remote control system 5 of the present embodiment. Referring to the figure, the remote control system 5 includes a transmission device 50 and a remote controller 4.

  The transmission device 50 includes an optical sensor (not shown) that measures illuminance, and a transmission unit (not shown) that transmits information indicating the illuminance measured by the optical sensor to the remote controller 4. The transmission device 50 may be provided in a device to be controlled as long as it is near the place where the remote controller 4 is used, or may be provided on a ceiling, a wall surface, or the like.

  The remote controller 4 has the same configuration as the remote controller 1 except that it includes a receiving unit 60 instead of the optical sensor 10.

  The receiving unit 60 receives information indicating the illuminance transmitted by the transmitting device 50. The remote controller 4 turns on the notification lamp 20 when the received illuminance is less than a predetermined threshold.

  In this way, if the transmitter 50 such as an optical sensor is installed separately from the remote controller 4, for example, if the remote controller is hidden behind something in a bright room, the notification lamp 20 is lit unnecessarily. Can be avoided, and consumption of the battery that supplies power to the notification lamp 20 can be suppressed.

  According to the present embodiment, the transmitter 50 transmits information indicating illuminance, the remote controller 4 receives the transmitted information indicating illuminance, and turns on the notification lamp 20 when the received illuminance is less than the threshold value. For this reason, the convenience of the remote control in a dark place can be improved efficiently.

It is an external view which shows the structure of the remote control of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of 1st Embodiment. (A) It is the figure which showed the operation | movement in the bright place of the remote control of 1st Embodiment. (B) It is the figure which showed the operation | movement in the dark place of the remote control of 1st Embodiment. It is an external view which shows the structure of the remote control of 2nd Embodiment. It is an external view which shows the structure of the remote control of 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the remote control of 3rd Embodiment. It is an external view which shows the structure of the remote control system of 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3, 4 Remote control 5 Remote control system 10 Optical sensor 20 Notification lamp 21, 22, 23, 24 Lamp 30 Operation unit 31, 32, 33 On button 34 Off button 40 Infrared sensor 50 Transmitter 60 Receiver

Claims (5)

A remote control device for remotely controlling a device,
Illuminance measuring means for measuring illuminance;
Lighting means that lights up when the illuminance measured by the illuminance measuring means is less than a predetermined threshold;
With remote control device.   The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit is incorporated in an operation unit. It further comprises detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a human body within a predetermined distance from the remote control device,
The lighting means is turned on when the detecting means detects that a human body is within a predetermined distance from the remote control device, and the illuminance measured by the illuminance measuring means is less than the predetermined threshold value. The remote control device according to 1 or 2. A remote control system for remotely controlling equipment,
A transmitter for measuring information indicating illuminance and transmitting information indicating the measured illuminance;
A remote control device comprising: a receiving unit that receives information indicating the illuminance transmitted by the transmitting device; and a lighting unit that is lit when the illuminance received by the receiving unit is less than a predetermined threshold;
Having remote control system. A control method of a remote control device for controlling a remote control device for remotely controlling a device,
Measure illuminance,
A control method for a remote control device, wherein a lighting means provided in the remote control device is turned on when measured illuminance is less than a predetermined threshold.

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