JPH05219575A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable speech remote control by storing various speech remote control instruction signals and remote control signals corresponding to those instruction signals, discriminating and transmitting the stored remote control signal corresponding to a received speech. CONSTITUTION:The speech of a user is received by a microphone 110, amplified by an amplifier 111, converted by an A/D converter 112 later and inputted to a speech keyword recognition circuit 113. The circuit 113 recognizes the input speech signal by using the speech keyword information of the user previously registered on a speech keyword information memory 114, estimates a keyword and inputs it to a central control circuit 100. The circuit 100 instructs the transmission of the remote control signal corresponding to the keyword to an IRED drive control circuit 121, and the circuit 121 extracts the relevand code from an IRED code information memory 132 and outputs it from an IRED 120. Thus, speech remote control can easily be executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a remote control device used for various electric devices such as televisions and videos capable of remote control operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an infrared remote control has been used for household electric appliances such as a television, a video, or an air conditioner (hereinafter, abbreviated as a remote controller in the description of this prior art and the embodiments described later). The equipment is standard equipment,
It is very convenient to use.

However, since the remote control device is designed exclusively for each device, when operating a plurality of devices with the remote control device, the number of devices to be used is required, which is annoying to the user. There is a side to be thought of.

In response to such inconvenience, a multifunctional remote control device has been commercialized in the past, and there are roughly two types.

One is to store in advance the remote control signals for typical televisions and videos that have already been released, and
It is a type that selects the equipment to be used, and is generally limited to TV and video. One is the user
Is a type that later stores the remote control signal of the device you want to use. This is called a "learning remote control device" and can be used for any device that can be operated by remote control.

Both types allow a plurality of devices to be operated by one remote control device, and the inconvenience as described above can be considerably eliminated for the user.

[0007]

However, even if only one remote control device is provided, the trouble of having to search for the remote control device first when operating equipment is still left, and the remote control device has such a problem. It was hard to say that the essential annoyance was eliminated.

A first object of the present invention is to remote control various equipment.
To provide a remote control device that can easily carry out remote control operation without the trouble of finding a dedicated remote control device or a multi-functional remote control device for each remote control operation. That is.

The second object of the present invention is to obtain a desired remote control.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control device capable of newly setting an instruction content for operating the remote control from the outside.

A third object of the present invention is to allow a plurality of people to perform remote control operations by voice.
To provide a to control device.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device capable of accurately controlling the selection of equipment and the operation control of the equipment.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device capable of performing timer control even for a device having no timer function.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device capable of preventing malfunction of a device to be controlled due to erroneous recognition of voice.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device which can be easily used by a visually handicapped person.

An eighth object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device which allows a visually handicapped person to easily determine whether a power failure or a device failure occurs. is there.

A ninth object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device which does not require a power cord and has a clean appearance.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a voice receiving means for receiving voice and various remote control by voice.
Storage means for storing the remote control signal and the remote control signal corresponding thereto, and the voice received by the voice receiving means corresponds to any of the remote control signals stored in the storage means. The control means for transmitting the corresponding remote control signal by the transmitting means is provided, and the remote control of various devices is performed by voice.

Further, there is provided a remote control signal setting means for externally storing a remote control signal corresponding to an instruction content for operating the remote control, in the remote control. I am trying to learn the contents of operable instructions.

The storage means is a means for storing various remote control instruction signals by the voices of a plurality of speakers and the remote control signals corresponding thereto, and is not limited to a specific speaker. It is possible to respond to remote control instructions by a plurality of arbitrary speakers.

Further, the control means recognizes the voice received by the voice receiving means as the first or second keyword,
At the time of recognizing the first key word, it is determined which one of the plurality of devices corresponds to the remote control signal stored in the storage means, which corresponds to the remote control signal.
When the second key word is recognized, it is determined which operation of the selected device corresponds to the remote control signal, and the corresponding remote control signal is transmitted by the transmitting means. This is a means for causing the user to erroneously recognize voice-based instructions for selecting various devices and various operations of the selected devices.

Further, it is provided with a timer means for executing the set operation at the set time, and the operation of all the various devices to be controlled can be controlled by the timer means.

Further, when it is determined in the control means which remote control signal the voice received by the voice receiving means corresponds to the remote control signal stored in the storage means, this determination result is output by voice. A response means for responding is provided to allow the speaker to judge whether or not the discrimination result of the device is correct.

Further, the switch member is provided with an operating portion provided with braille for registering the instruction content for operating the remote control by voice, and based on the braille provided on the operating portion of the switch member, It is possible to store the instruction content in the device to operate the remote control by voice while operating the operation unit.

Further, a backup power source for supplying power to the apparatus during a power failure is provided, and a voice which is a remote control operation instruction is given by the voice receiving means in the control means when the backup power source supplies power. Is received, a power failure display means for emitting a sound indicating that a power failure is occurring is provided, and a sound indicating that a power failure is occurring is provided.

The device uses an AC power source of 100 V, and a power plug is provided on the back of the device so that it can be directly plugged into a power outlet, and can be used by directly plugging the device into the power outlet. I am trying.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of the remote control device in the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote control device in this embodiment, which is mounted on a wall in the direction opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

Here, the remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, the video 4, and the air conditioner 5, and the voice keyword information of the user-2. I shall.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote controller 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a key that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 in order to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

Further, when the user-2 utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "volume is high", the remote controller 1 changes the channel and volume of the corresponding television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The above-mentioned "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" sounds are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5, and when the user-2 utters "video ready" or "air conditioner ready", the remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker. An operation switch group 11 is used for registering a keyword in the remote control device 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote control signal.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmitting section and a remote control signal receiving section, respectively, and the remote control signal transmitting section 1
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V cord plug.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side, and the same parts and parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 15 is a display unit used to display the operating state of the device, etc., which makes it easier to use the remote control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote controller 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip microcomputer.
It is composed of

The signals of the above-mentioned switch group 11 are input to the input terminals of the central controller 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

Since the specific method of speech recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 causes the keyboard which operates which device it operates.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information on the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the remote control signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment which the user-2 wants to use is brought close to the photo sensor 130 (remote control signal receiver 13) to operate, and the photo sensor 130 receives this. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote controller 1 of this embodiment is used away from the user-2, it is necessary to make a voice response for each operation in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this purpose, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote control device 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyboard for selecting a device to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, when recognizing the voice keyword "TV ready", the remote control device 1 prepares for remote control operation of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3) and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.

FIG. 6 shows an example in the case where the television 3 is selected as a device in the keyboard after the device to be operated is determined. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Further, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote controller, but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the main body of the device, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which a timer is set using the above timer function.

If it is desired to start recording the video 4 at the time "20:00", "video preparation", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15, and the keyboard is performed by voice input. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 when viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a hole used for mounting on a wall.
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of the above remote controller 1 when viewed from the back side.

Here, instead of the hole 20 shown in the example of FIG. 8, a magnet plate 21 is attached to the back side of the remote control device 1. In this case, if the wall is an iron plate or an iron piece attached, it can be easily fixed to the wall. In addition,
The convex portions in the figure are pins for positioning.

According to the first embodiment described above, in the remote control device 1 which is mounted on the wall facing a television or video, for example, and which is in a state of constantly inputting voice, the user who uses the device is keyed. -When some kind of sound corresponding to a word is emitted, the remote control device 1 discriminates it as a command of the remote control and transmits a corresponding remote control signal, whereby the operation of the television or the video is started. When the remote control of various devices is desired, there is an effect that the troublesomeness of searching for each remote control device or the multi-functional remote control device is reduced.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device in a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote control device according to the present embodiment, which is mounted on a wall opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

Here, the remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4, and air conditioner 5, and voice key information of the user-2. I shall.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote control device 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control operation of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

When the user-2 further utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "volume is high", the remote controller 1 changes the channel and volume of the corresponding television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The sounds of "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5, and when the user-2 utters "ready for video" or "ready for air conditioner", remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker. An operation switch group 11 is used for registering a keyword in the remote control device 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote control signal.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmitting section and a remote control signal receiving section, respectively, and the remote control signal transmitting section 1
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V cord plug.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side, and the same parts and parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 15 is a display unit used to display the operating state of the device, etc., which makes it easier to use the remote control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote controller 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip micro computer.
It is composed of

The signal of the above-mentioned switch group 11 is input to the input terminal of the central control unit 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

Since the specific method of voice recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, detailed description will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 causes the key which operates which device it operates.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information of the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the user-2 operates the remote controller signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment which he / she wants to use by bringing the remote controller signal transmitter close to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) and receiving it by the photosensor 130. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the user-2, it is necessary to make each operation respond by voice in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote controller 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyboard for selecting a device to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, upon recognizing the voice key "TV ready", the remote control device 1 prepares for remote control operation of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3) and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the case where the television 3 is selected as a device in the keyboard after the device to be operated has been determined. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Further, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote control device, but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the device body side, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a timer is set using the above timer function.

If it is desired to start recording the video 4 at the time "20:00", "video preparation", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15, and the keyboard is performed by voice input. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 when viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 is a hole used for mounting on a wall.
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

According to the second embodiment described above, in the remote controller 1 which is mounted on the wall facing a television, a video, etc. and is in a state of always inputting audio, various equipment such as a television, a video, etc., and its equipment When a remote control signal corresponding to the operation is stored (learned) and a voice corresponding to any one of them is issued, the remote control device 1 discriminates it as a command of the remote control. Then, the corresponding remote control signal is transmitted to start the operation of the television and the video, so that it can be used for all electrical devices that can be controlled by remote control, which is very convenient. Becomes

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote control device in this embodiment, which is mounted on a wall opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

Here, the remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5, and voice key information of the user-2. . Further, the user-2 is not limited to one person, and can be used by, for example, the whole family,
The voice keyword information of a plurality of users is stored.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote control device 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control operation of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

Further, when the user-2 utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "volume is high", the remote controller 1 changes the channel or volume of the corresponding television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The above-mentioned "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" voices are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5, and when the user-2 utters "ready for video" or "ready for air conditioner", remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker. Reference numeral 11 denotes a switch group for operation, which is used for registering a keyword in the remote control device 1 and for giving an instruction for associating the keyword with a remote control signal.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmitting section and a remote control signal receiving section, respectively.
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V cord plug.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side, and the same parts and parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 15 is a display unit used to display the operating state of the device, etc., which makes it easier to use the remote control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the remote controller 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip micro computer.
It is composed of

The signal of the switch group 11 is input to the input terminal of the central control unit 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

Since the specific method of speech recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, detailed description will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the key word of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 causes the key word for controlling which device it operates.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information on the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the user-2 operates the remote controller signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment he / she wants to use by bringing the remote controller signal transmitter close to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) to receive the photosensor 130. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the user-2, it is necessary to make each operation respond by voice in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIG. 10 and FIG. 6 are views showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote control device 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto. As described above, the remote controller 1 sets the voice keywords of a plurality of speakers (speakers 1 to 3) to 1
It can be stored in association with one motion. Here, an example in which there are three speakers is shown.

FIG. 10 shows a keyboard for selecting a device desired to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, when the voice keyword "TV ready" of the speaker 1 is recognized, the remote controller 1 determines that the device 1
Preparations for remote control operation (assuming that this is assigned to the TV 3) are made, and a voice key issued after this is started.
The word should be regarded as one for device 1. Similarly,
The remote control device 1 executes the same operation even if the speaker 2 utters "Get up on TV".

Up to this point, only the key word shown in FIG. 10 is recognized, and the audio key word "TV ready" is displayed.
Only after the command has been accepted, no operation is performed on the sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later to prevent inadvertent malfunction. Is done.

FIG. 6 shows an example in the case where the television 3 is selected as the device in the keyboard after the device to be operated is determined. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called. As for this sub-voice keyword, it is possible to store a plurality of speakers.

When the key word "switch on" of the speaker 1 is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed. Similarly, the same operation is performed when the speaker 2 utters "on" or the speaker 3 utters "power on".

Further, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote controller, but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the device body side, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a timer is set using the above timer function.

If it is desired to start recording the video 4 at the time "20:00", "video preparation", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 shown in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 shown in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15, and the keyboard is inputted by voice input. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 when viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 is a hole used for attaching to a wall, and a hook struck on the wall to be attached is used for this hole 2
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

According to the third embodiment described above, in the remote control device 1 mounted on a wall facing a television or video, for example, and in a state of always inputting voice, a plurality of speakers using the device can listen to each other. -When some kind of sound corresponding to a word is emitted, the remote control device 1 discriminates it as a command of the remote control and transmits a corresponding remote control signal, whereby the operation of the television or the video is started. Therefore, there is an effect that a plurality of people can easily operate the remote controller.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote control device in the present embodiment, which is attached to a wall opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

Here, the remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4, and air conditioner 5, and voice key information of the user-2. I shall.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote control device 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control operation of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

Further, when the user-2 utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "volume is high", the remote controller 1 changes the channel and volume of the corresponding television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The above-mentioned "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" voices are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5. When the user-2 utters "ready for video" or "ready for air conditioner", remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker. An operation switch group 11 is used for registering a keyword in the remote control device 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote control signal.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmitting section and a remote control signal receiving section, respectively.
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V code plug.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side, and the same parts and parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 15 is a display unit used to display the operating state of the device, etc., which makes it easier to use the remote control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote controller 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip micro computer.
It is composed of

The signal of the switch group 11 is input to the input terminal of the central control unit 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

The specific method of voice recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 causes the key which operates which device it operates.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information of the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the remote controller signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment that the user-2 wants to use is brought close to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) to operate, and this is received by the photosensor 130. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the hand of the user-2, each operation is made to respond by voice in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote controller 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyboard for selecting a device desired to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, when recognizing the voice key "TV ready", the remote controller 1 prepares for remote control of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3) and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.

FIG. 6 shows an example in the case where the television 3 is selected as a device in the keyboard after the device to be operated is determined. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Furthermore, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote controller, but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the main body of the device, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which a timer is set using the above timer function.

When it is desired to start recording the video 4 at the time "20:00", "video preparation", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15. The keyboard is performed by voice input. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 is a hole used for mounting on a wall.
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

According to the fourth embodiment described above, the remote control device 1 mounted on the wall facing a plurality of remote controllable devices such as a television and a video device and in a state of always inputting a sound is operated by the remote control device 1. When the user to use makes some voice corresponding to the keyword, the remote control device 1
Discriminates it as a device selection command, first selects a device from a plurality of devices, transmits the corresponding remote control signal, and then receives voice again, this time it discriminates as an operation command of the selected device and Since the corresponding remote control signal is sent, false recognition of voice is reduced,
It is possible to reliably perform desired equipment and its operation control.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device in a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote control device in the present embodiment, which is attached to a wall opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

The remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5, and voice key information of the user-2. I shall.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote control device 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control operation of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

Further, when the user-2 utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "loud volume", the remote control device 1 changes the corresponding channel or volume of the television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The above-mentioned "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" voices are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5, and when the user-2 utters "ready for video" or "ready for air conditioner", remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote controller 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker. An operation switch group 11 is used for registering a keyword in the remote control device 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote control signal.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmission section and a remote control signal reception section, respectively.
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V cord plug.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side, and the same parts as those in FIG. 2 and parts having the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 15 is a display unit used to display the operating state of the device, etc., which makes it easier to use the remote control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote control device 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip micro computer.
It is composed of

The signal of the switch group 11 is input to the input terminal of the central controller 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

Since the specific method of voice recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 causes the key which operates which device it operates.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information on the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the user-2 operates the remote controller signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment which he / she wants to use by bringing the remote controller signal transmitter close to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) and receiving it by the photosensor 130. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the user-2, it is necessary to make each operation respond by voice in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote controller 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyboard for selecting a device to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, when recognizing the voice keyword "TV ready", the remote controller 1 prepares for remote control of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3) and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the case where the television 3 is selected as a device in the keyboard after the device to be operated is confirmed. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Further, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not possessed by the remote control device, but possessed by equipment such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the device body side, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a timer is set by using the above timer function.

If it is desired to start recording the video 4 at the time "20:00", "video preparation", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15. The keyboard is performed by voice input. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 when viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 is a hole used for mounting on a wall.
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

According to the fifth embodiment described above, for example, it is mounted on a wall facing a television or a video and is in a state of constantly inputting voice, and a user who uses the device is a key.
When any sound corresponding to a command is emitted, it is discriminated as a command of the remote controller, and the corresponding remote control signal is transmitted, whereby the remote control device 1 for controlling the remote control of the television and the video is provided with a timer function. Since it is added, it is possible to control by a timer even for devices that do not have a timer function.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device in a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote control device in this embodiment, which is mounted on a wall in the opposite direction to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

In this remote control device 1, remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 and voice key information of user-2 are stored in advance. I shall.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote control device 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control operation of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

[0240] Further, when the user-2 utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "loud volume", the remote controller 1 changes the channel and volume of the corresponding television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The above-mentioned "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" voices are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5. When the user-2 utters "video ready" or "air conditioner ready", remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker. An operation switch group 11 is used for registering a keyword in the remote control device 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote control signal.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmission section and a remote control signal reception section, respectively.
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

[0246] Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V cord plug.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side, and the same parts and parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 15 is a display unit used to display the operating state of the device, etc., which makes it easier to use the remote control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote control device 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip microcomputer.
It is composed of

The signals of the above-mentioned switch group 11 are input to the input terminals of the central controller 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

The specific method of voice recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 causes the key which operates which device it operates.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information on the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the user-2 operates the remote controller signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment which he / she wants to use by bringing the remote controller signal transmitter closer to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) and receiving the photosensor 130. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a well-known technique, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the user-2, it is necessary to make each operation respond by voice in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote controller 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyboard for selecting a device desired to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, when recognizing the voice keyword "TV ready", the remote controller 1 prepares for remote control of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3), and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.

FIG. 6 shows an example in the case where the television 3 is selected as a device in the keyboard after the device to be operated is confirmed. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Furthermore, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote control device but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the main body of the device, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a timer is set by using the above timer function.

If it is desired to start recording the video 4 at the time "20:00", "video preparation", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15. The keyboard is performed by voice input, but the time and key are set. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 when viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 is a hole used for attaching to a wall, and a hook struck on the wall to be attached is used for this hole 2
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

According to the sixth embodiment described above, in the remote control device 1 mounted on a wall facing a television or a video, for example, and in a state of always inputting audio, the user using the device. When some kind of voice corresponding to the key word is emitted and it is discriminated as a command of the remote control, the contents of the discriminated command are made to respond to the device by voice. It is possible to prevent the malfunction of the device to be controlled due to the erroneous recognition.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device in a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a remote control device in this embodiment, which is attached to a wall opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

The remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4, and air conditioner 5, and voice key information of the user-2. I shall.

When the user-2 makes a sound such as "TV ready", the remote controller 1 recognizes the sound and prepares for remote-controlling the TV 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

When the user-2 further utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "volume is high", the remote controller 1 changes the channel and volume of the corresponding television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The above-mentioned "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" sounds are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5, and when the user-2 utters "video ready" or "air conditioner ready", remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker.

Reference numeral 22 is a switch group for operation, which is used for registering a keyword in the remote controller 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote controller signal. .. The switch group 22 is provided with Braille on the upper surface of each switch so that even a visually handicapped person can operate it. Therefore, when the voice is first registered, even a visually handicapped person is provided with Braille, so that the voice registration can be performed without any inconvenience.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmitting section and a remote control signal receiving section, respectively.
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V cord plug.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote control device 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip micro computer.
It is composed of

The signal of the switch group 11 is input to the input terminal of the central controller 100.

First, the input method of the voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

The specific method of voice recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 operates the key which operates which device.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information of the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the remote controller signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment that the user-2 wants to use is brought close to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) to operate, and this is received by the photosensor 130. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the hand of the user-2, each operation should be made to respond by voice in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote controller 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyboard for selecting a device to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, upon recognizing the voice key "TV ready", the remote controller 1 prepares for remote control of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3), and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the case where the television 3 is selected as a device in the keyboard after the device to be operated is confirmed. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Further, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote controller, but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the device body side, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a timer is set using the above timer function.

When it is desired to start recording the video 4 at the time "20:00", "video preparation", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15, and the keyboard is input by voice. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above remote control device 1 when viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 is a hole used for mounting on a wall.
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

According to the seventh embodiment described above, for example, it is mounted on a wall facing a television or a video and is in a state of constantly inputting voice, and a user who uses the device is a key.
When any sound corresponding to the voice is emitted, it is discriminated as a command of the remote controller, and the corresponding remote control signal is transmitted, whereby the remote control device 1 for performing the remote control operation of the TV and the video is registered when the sound is registered. Since the Braille is provided on the upper surface of the switch group 22 to be used, even a visually handicapped person can register a voice based on the Braille without any inconvenience.

(Eighth Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device in an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote control device in this embodiment, which is attached to a wall opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

Here, the remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4, and air conditioner 5, and voice key information of the user-2. I shall.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote control device 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control operation of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this keyword and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

When the user-2 further utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "volume is high", the remote controller 1 changes the channel and volume of the corresponding television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The above-mentioned "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" sounds are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5, and when the user-2 utters "ready for video" or "ready for air conditioner", remote control operation of each device is started. We are going to get ready. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker.

Reference numeral 22 is a switch group for operation, which is used for registering a keyword in the remote controller 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote controller signal. .. The switch group 22 is provided with Braille on the upper surface of each switch so that even a visually handicapped person can operate it. Therefore, when the voice is first registered, even a visually handicapped person is provided with Braille, so that the voice registration can be performed without any inconvenience.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmission section and a remote control signal reception section, respectively.
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

Reference numeral 14 is a household AC 100V cord plug.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote control device 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip microcomputer.
It is composed of

The signal of the switch group 11 is input to the input terminal of the central control unit 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

Since the specific method of voice recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of User-2, the central control circuit 100 causes the key which operates which device it operates.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information on the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the remote controller signal transmitter of the exclusive remote controller for the electric equipment that the user-2 wants to use is brought close to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) to operate it, and the photosensor 130 receives it. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

The technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the hand of the user-2, each operation should be made to respond by voice in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

Further, the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment has a built-in backup power supply (not shown) and continues charging while the power of AC 100V is applied. When the power supply is cut off due to a power failure or the like, the above-mentioned backup power supply is supplied as the power supply for the device, and in this state, the user-2 outputs a voice for some remote control operation instruction. Then, for example, a voice response such as "there is a power outage right now" is returned. Therefore, even a visually handicapped person can surely know that there is a power failure rather than a device failure, and anxiety is not given.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote controller 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyboard for selecting a device to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, when recognizing the voice key "TV ready", the remote controller 1 prepares for remote control of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3) and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.
Fig. 6 shows the keyboard after the device to be operated is confirmed.
An example in which the television 3 is selected as the device is shown. Here, the keyword is referred to as a sub voice keyword.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Furthermore, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote control device but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmitting section 12 always faces the device body side, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the case where the timer setting is performed by using the above timer function.

If it is desired to start recording video 4 at time "20:00", "video ready", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 shown in FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 shown in FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15. The keyboard is inputted by voice, but the time and key It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 when viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 is a hole used for attaching to a wall, and a hook struck on the wall to be attached is used for this hole 2
If it is set to 0, the remote control device 1 will be fixed to the wall.

According to the above eighth embodiment, for example, it is mounted on a wall facing a television or a video and is in a state of always inputting voice, and a user who uses the device is a key.
When any sound corresponding to a command is emitted, it is discriminated as a command of the remote controller, and a corresponding remote control signal is transmitted, whereby the remote control device 1 for performing remote control operations of TV and video is equipped with a backup power supply If a voice for remote control operation is recognized when the power is cut off, the voice is used to respond to the fact that the power is being cut off. You can do it, and even a visually handicapped person will not feel any anxiety.

(Ninth Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage pattern of a remote control device in a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a remote controller in this embodiment, which is attached to a wall opposite to the wall on which the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5 are installed.

The remote control device 1 stores in advance remote control signals by infrared rays of the television 3, video 4 and air conditioner 5, and voice key information of the user-2. I shall.

When the user-2 utters a voice such as "TV ready", the remote control device 1 recognizes the voice and prepares for remote control operation of the television 3. here,
The voice "TV ready" is a keyword that the user has previously registered in the remote control device 1 to start the remote control operation of the TV. This registration will be described later.

Next, when the user-2 utters "switch on", the remote control device 1 recognizes this key word and transmits a remote control signal for turning on the power of the television 3. To do. Upon receiving this remote control signal, the television 3 turns on its own power as in the case where the dedicated remote control device is operated.

When the user-2 further utters a keyword such as "channel 3" or "loud volume", the remote control device 1 changes the corresponding channel or volume of the television 3. The remote control signal of is transmitted.

The sounds of "switch on", "channel 3", or "loud volume" are also registered as keywords for operating the television.

The same applies to the video 4 and the air conditioner 5, and when the user-2 utters "ready for video" or "ready for air conditioner", remote control operation of each device is started. We will start preparing. After that, the key of each device, such as "Playback start" and "Cooling start",
When the command is issued, the remote control operation corresponding to that is executed.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device 1 viewed from the front side.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a microphone / speaker for both voice reception and response voice, which acts as a microphone when receiving the voice of the user-2, and the remote control device 1 responds with a voice signal. Sometimes it acts as a speaker. An operation switch group 11 is used for registering a keyword in the remote control device 1 and for instructing the association of the keyword with a remote control signal.

Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a remote control signal transmitting section and a remote control signal receiving section, respectively.
2 has an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) described later.
However, the infrared photosensors described later are arranged inside the remote control signal receiving unit 13, respectively. The remote control signal transmission unit 12 is for transmitting a remote control signal to an electric device capable of receiving a remote control signal by infrared rays (the above-mentioned TV 3 or the like), and the remote control signal reception unit 13 is attached to the device such as the TV 3 as standard. The remote control device 1 is for receiving a remote control signal emitted by a dedicated remote control device, and the remote control device 1 learns the signal received here.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another example when the remote control device 1 is viewed from the front side, and the same parts as those in FIG. 2 and parts having the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 15 is a display unit used to display the operating state of the device, etc., which makes it easier to use the remote control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the remote control device 1.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a central control circuit for controlling the entire circuit, for example, a one-chip micro computer.
It is composed of

The signal of the switch group 11 is input to the input terminal of the central control unit 100.

First, a method of inputting a voice keyword will be described.

The voice uttered by the user-2 is received by the microphone 110 and converted into an electric signal, and the amplifier 11
Amplify at 1. The amplification factor of the amplifier 111 is variable and can be controlled by the central control circuit 100. This is because the amplification factor is changed according to the noise of the environment where the remote control device 1 is used.

The amplified audio signal is sent to the A / D converter 11
It is A / D converted in 2 and input to the voice keyword recognition circuit 113. Then, the voice keyword recognition circuit 113
Recognizes the input voice signal by using the voice key word information of the user-2 registered in advance in the voice key word information memory 114. Then, the most probable keyword is estimated and notified to the central control circuit 100.

The specific method of voice recognition described above can be realized by using a known technique, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Upon recognizing the keyboard of the user-2, the central control circuit 100 operates the key which operates which device.
For example, in the case of a channel of the television 3, the IRED drive / control circuit 121 is instructed to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the channel operation. Then, the IRED drive / control circuit 121
IRE in which remote control signal information of each device is stored in advance
The corresponding code is taken out from the D code information memory 132, the IRED 120 is driven based on the code, and the remote control signal is transmitted.

The information stored in the above-mentioned IRED code information memory 132 is the information on the major televisions already on sale.
The code information of the remote control signal of the video may be fixedly stored, but it is more convenient if it is learned by using the photo sensor 130 and the photo sensor interface circuit 131.

That is, the remote controller signal transmitter of the dedicated remote controller for the electric equipment which the user-2 wants to use is brought close to the photosensor 130 (remote controller signal receiver 13) to operate it, and the photosensor 130 receives it. And the IRE through the photo sensor interface circuit 131.
Input it to the D code information memory 132, and input it to the IRE.
If it is stored in the IRED code information memory 132 as a D code, all the electric equipment which can be operated by the remote control signal by infrared rays can be used in the remote control device 1 of this embodiment. Of course, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to store the voice keyword corresponding to this in the voice keyword information memory 114.

Since the technique for adding the learning function described above can be realized by using a known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, since the remote control device 1 of this embodiment is used away from the hand of the user-2, each operation should be made a voice response in order to guarantee a reliable operation. Is configured. For example, when the key word "TV ready" is recognized, a response such as "TV ready" is returned.

For this reason, the central control circuit 100 issues a predetermined instruction to the response voice control circuit 143 each time it operates. Upon receiving this, the response voice control circuit 143 extracts the voice information stored in advance in the response voice information memory 144, and outputs the response voice using the D / A converter 142, the amplifier 141, and the speaker 140. Let

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the voice keyword of the remote controller 1 in this embodiment and the operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 shows a keyword for selecting a device to be remote-controlled from a plurality of devices.

For example, when recognizing the voice keyword "TV ready", the remote controller 1 prepares for remote control of the device 1 (assuming that it is assigned to the TV 3) and emits it after this. It is assumed that the voice key to be used is for the device 1. In other words, up to this point, only the keyword shown in FIG. 5 is recognized,
Only after the voice keyword "TV ready" has been accepted, do any operation for sub-keywords such as "switch on" and "channel 3" which will be described later. Without doing so, an accidental malfunction is prevented.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the case where the television 3 is selected as a device in the keyboard after the device to be operated is confirmed. Here, the key word is the sub voice key word.
Is called.

When the key word "switch on" is recognized, a remote control signal for turning on the power of the device 1 (television 3) is transmitted. The same applies to the other sub audio keywords, and the predetermined remote control operation for the television 3 can be performed.

Further, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment also has a timer function.

Originally, the timer function is not a function of the remote control device but a device such as a television. The reason is that even if the remote control device has a timer function and the user wants to control a predetermined operation for a device at a predetermined time, the remote control device is originally held and operated by the user. This is because the remote control signal transmission unit of the remote control device is not always facing the device body side at a convenient time.

However, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is guaranteed that the remote control signal transmission section 12 always faces the main body of the device, and the timer function has great significance. That is, if the time and the action to be taken at that time are set by the timer function, it is possible to automatically control everything that can be controlled not only by turning on / off the power of the device but also by the remote control device. .. Therefore, not only the timer control of the device having no timer function but also the function which cannot be controlled by the timer even if the device body has the timer function can be controlled by the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment. is there. The timer function can be easily realized by the central control circuit 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the case where the timer setting is performed by using the above timer function.

If it is desired to start recording video 4 at time "20:00", "video ready", "power on",
The three keys "recording start" are stored in combination. Next, in order to stop the video 4 at time "20:30", the keywords "video ready", "stop", and "power off" are stored.

The time is set by using the switch group 11 of FIG. 2 or the switch group 11 of FIG. 3 and the liquid crystal display 15. The keyboard is performed by voice input, but the time and key are set. It is also easy to adopt a configuration in which the memory is stored using voice.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an example of the above-mentioned remote control device 1 viewed from the back side.

In the figure, reference numeral 23 is a household AC 100V power source plug, which is directly provided on the back side of the remote controller 1.
Therefore, if this is plugged into a wall outlet, it can serve as an instruction for the device 1 together with the supply of power, and a code is not required, so that the appearance is very neat.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a state in which the remote control device 1 is used by inserting it into an outlet on the ceiling.

As shown in the figure, the user is installed in the ceiling.
The remote controller 2 can operate the remote controller by the sound of the television 3 and the air conditioner 5.

According to the ninth embodiment described above, for example, it is mounted on a wall facing a television or a video and is in a state of constantly inputting voice, and a user who uses the device is a key.
When a certain sound corresponding to a terminal is emitted, it is discriminated as a command of the remote controller, the corresponding remote controller signal is transmitted, and thereby the remote control operation of the TV and the video is performed. In the remote control device 1, since the power supply plug is provided directly on the back surface of the device, the power supply code is not required and the appearance is clean.

[0398]

As described above, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, voice receiving means for receiving voice, various remote control instruction signals by voice, and remote control corresponding thereto. The storage means storing the signal and the remote control signal stored in the storage means to which the voice received by the voice receiving means corresponds are discriminated, and the corresponding remote control is determined. A control means for transmitting a signal by the transmitting means is provided so that various devices can be remote-controlled by voice.

Therefore, when it is desired to operate various devices by remote control, a dedicated remote control device, or
Eliminate the hassle of finding a multifunctional remote control device,
It becomes possible to easily perform remote control operation.

According to the present invention, the remote control signal for storing the remote control signal corresponding to the instruction content for the remote control operation from the outside in the storage means. Equipped with setting means, remote
The contents of instructions that can be operated by the control are learned.

Accordingly, it becomes possible to newly set the desired instruction content for remote control operation from the outside.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the storage means stores various types of remote control by voices of a plurality of speakers.
It is a means for storing a remote control instruction signal and a remote control signal corresponding to the remote control signal, and is capable of responding to a remote control instruction by a plurality of arbitrary speakers, not limited to a specific speaker. ..

Therefore, it becomes possible for a plurality of people to perform remote control operations by voice.

According to the present invention of claim 4, the control means recognizes the voice received by the voice receiving means as the first or second key word, and the first key word. -When a word is recognized, it is determined which one of a plurality of devices to be controlled, which is stored in the storage means, corresponds to the remote control signal, and the second key is selected. At the time of recognizing the word, it is a means for discriminating which operation of the selected device corresponds to the remote control signal and transmitting the corresponding remote control signal by the transmitting means. It is arranged so that the voice selection of various devices and the instructions for various operations of the selected devices are not erroneously recognized.

Therefore, it becomes possible to accurately perform remote control operation for selecting a device and controlling the operation of the device.

Further, according to the present invention of claim 5, it is provided with timer means for executing the operation set at the set time, and the operation control of all the various devices to be controlled is enabled by the timer means. There is.

Therefore, it becomes possible to perform the timer control even for a device having no timer function.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the control means, which remote control signal the voice received by the voice receiving means corresponds to the remote control signal stored in the storage means. When the determination is made, a response means for responding by voice the determination result is provided to allow the speaker to determine whether or not the determination result of the device is correct.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the malfunction of the device to be controlled due to the erroneous recognition of voice.

According to the present invention as defined in claim 7, there is provided a switch member having an operation section provided with Braille for registering instruction contents for voice remote control operation. Based on the Braille provided on the operation unit, it is possible to store the instruction content in the device so as to perform a remote control operation by voice while operating the operation unit.

Therefore, even a visually handicapped person can easily use the device.

According to the present invention of claim 8, a backup power supply for supplying power to the device during a power failure is provided, and the audio receiving means is provided in the control means when the power is supplied by the backup power supply. Remote control
When a voice that is an operation instruction is received, a power failure display means for emitting a voice indicating that a power failure is being provided is provided.
A voice is displayed to indicate that there is a power outage.

Therefore, even a visually handicapped person can easily determine whether there is a power failure or a device failure.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 9, the device uses an alternating current of 100 V as a power source, and a power plug directly inserted into a power outlet is provided on the back surface of the device. It can be used by plugging it directly into the power outlet.

Therefore, the power cord is unnecessary and the appearance can be made clean.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage pattern of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device of FIG. 1 when viewed from the front side.

3 is a perspective view showing another example of the remote control device shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the front side.

4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote control device of FIG. 1. FIG.

5 is a diagram showing an example of a voice keyword of the remote control device of FIG. 1 and an operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sub voice keyword of the remote control device of FIG. 1 and an operation corresponding thereto.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of keywords corresponding to the time setting in the remote control device of FIG. 1 and the operation to be performed at that time.

8 is a perspective view showing an example of the remote control device of FIG. 1 when viewed from the back side.

9 is a perspective view showing another example of the remote control device of FIG. 1 when viewed from the back side.

FIG. 10 is a voice key of the remote control device shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows another example of a word and the operation | movement corresponding to it.

11 is a perspective view showing another example of the remote control device of FIG. 1 when viewed from the back side. FIG.

12 is a perspective view showing still another example of the remote control device of FIG. 1 when viewed from the front side.

13 is a perspective view showing still another example of the remote control device of FIG. 1 when viewed from the front side.

14 is a perspective view showing still another example of the remote control device shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the back side.

15 is a diagram illustrating a usage pattern of the remote control device of FIG. 14. FIG.

[Explanation of sign]

 1 Remote Control Device 2 User 3 Television 4 Video 5 Air Conditioner 11 Switch Group 22 Switch Group 23 Power Plug 100 Central Control Circuit 110 Microphone 113 Voice Keyword Recognition Circuit 114 Voice Keyword Information Memory 120 IRED (infrared light emitting diode) 121 IRED drive / control circuit 130 Photo sensor 132 IRED information memory 140 Speaker 143 Response voice control circuit 144 Response voice information memory

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A remote control device having a transmitting means for transmitting a remote control signal, wherein a voice receiving means for receiving a voice, various remote control instruction signals by voice, and corresponding thereto. The storage means storing the remote control signal and the remote control signal stored in the storage means to which the voice received by the voice receiving means corresponds are discriminated and dealt with. A remote control means for transmitting a remote control signal by the transmitting means.
To control device. 2. A remote control signal setting means for externally storing a remote control signal corresponding to an instruction content for operating the remote control by voice in a storage means. The remote control device according to claim 1. 3. The storage means is means for storing various remote control instruction signals by voices of a plurality of speakers and remote control signals corresponding thereto. 2. The remote control device described in 2. 4. The control means recognizes the voice received by the voice receiving means as a first or second keyword,
At the time of recognizing the keyword, it is determined which remote control signal of the device to be controlled among the plurality of devices stored in the storage means corresponds to the remote control signal.
When the second key word is recognized, it is determined which operation of the selected device corresponds to the remote control signal, and the corresponding remote control signal is sent by the transmitting means. 4. The remote control according to claim 1, characterized in that it is means for transmitting.
Device. 5. A remote control device comprising a timer means for executing a set operation at a set time. 6. The control means determines which remote control signal the voice received by the voice receiving means corresponds to the remote control signal stored in the storage means. A remote control device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, further comprising a response means for responding. 7. A switch member having an operating portion provided with Braille for registering instruction contents for a voice remote control operation. 7. The remote control device according to 5 or 6. 8. A voice which is a remote control operation instruction by a voice receiving means when the backup means is provided with a backup power source for supplying power to the device during a power failure and the backup power source supplies power. 5. A power failure display means for emitting a voice signifying that a power failure is in progress is provided when is received.
4. The remote control device according to 4, 6 or 7. 9. The apparatus uses an alternating current of 100 V as a power source, and a power plug that is directly inserted into a power outlet is provided on the back surface of the apparatus.
The remote control device according to 3, 4, 6, 7 or 8.