Voice-activated remote control unit for multiple electrical apparatuses

• US 20020126035A1
• Filed: 03/12/2001
• Published: 09/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shaw-Yuan Hou
• Original Assignee: Shaw-Yuan Hou
• Inventors: Hou, Shaw-Yuan
• Granted Patent: US 6,747,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

A voice-activated remote control unit which is adapted for use with one or more electrical apparatuses, such as a TV set, a DVD player, a stereo system, an air conditioner, for the purpose of allowing the user to remotely turn on/off and control the operations of these electrical apparatuses through voice-activation. The voice-activated remote control unit comprises voice input means which can pick up the user/s natural voice command and converting it into an digital voice signal. A command code database is used for storing a predefined set of remote-control command codes and corresponding voice commands; and a voice recognition unit is used to perform a voice recognition algorithm on the digital voice signal to thereby recognize the user'"'"'s voice command, and which is further capable of retrieving the corresponding remote-control command code from the command code data-base. Finally, a wireless signal emitter, such as infrared (IR) signal emitter is used to modulate the retrieved remote-control command code into an IR signal and emitting the IR signal to the electrical apparatuses to cause one or more of the electrical apparatuses to operate accordingly.

Claims

1. A voice-activated remote control unit for use with one or more electrical apparatuses for a user to remotely turn on/off and control the operations of the electrical apparatuses;

the voice-activated remote control unit comprising;

(a) a microphone for picking up the user'"'"'s voice command and converting the voice command into an analog voice signal;

(b) a voice signal conversion unit for converting the output analog voice signal from the microphone into a digital voice signal;

(c) a command code database for storing a predefined set of remote-control command codes and corresponding voice commands;

(d) a voice recognition unit, which is capable of performing a voice recognition algorithm on the output digital voice signal from the voice signal conversion unit to thereby recognize the user'"'"'s voice command, and which is further capable of retrieving the corresponding remote-control command code from the command code database; and

(e) a wireless signal emitter, which is capable of modulating the retrieved remote-control command code from the command code database into a wireless signal and emitting the wireless signal to the electrical apparatuses to cause one or more of the electrical apparatuses to operate accordingly.

2. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 1, further comprising an initialization function to set the voice-activated remote control unit to standby mode.

3. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 2, further comprising an initial mute function, which is activated immediately after the initialization function is activated, for setting all of the electrical apparatuses to mute mode.

4. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a train key for inputting user-defined voice commands to the voice-activated remote control unit.

5. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a delete key for deleting unwanted voice commands currently stored in the voice-activated remote control unit.

6. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a mute key for setting all the electrical apparatuses to mute mode.

7. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a browse key for displaying all the currently stored voice commands in the voice-activated remote control unit.

8. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal emitter is an IR signal emitter.

9. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 8, wherein the IR signal emitter includes:

a circular panel;

three paired IR diode modules, including a first paired IR diode module, a second paired IR diode module, and a third paired IR diode module, which are arranged on the perimeter of the circular panel at 120°

angular intervals, each including a pair of IR diodes arranged to emit IR beams in parallel to each other; and

an IR diode arranged between the first paired IR diode module and the second paired IR diode module and separated from the first paired IR diode module and the second paired IR diode module each by an angular interval of 60°

.

10. A voice-activated remote control unit for use with one or more electrical apparatuses for a user to remotely turn on/off and control the operations of the electrical apparatuses;

the voice-activated remote control unit comprising;

(a) a microphone for picking up the user'"'"'s voice command and converting the voice command into an analog voice signal;

(b) a voice signal conversion unit for converting the output analog voice signal from the microphone into a digital voice signal;

(c) a command code database for storing a predefined set of remote-control command codes and corresponding voice commands;

(d) a voice recognition unit, which is capable of performing a voice recognition algorithm on the output digital voice signal from the voice signal conversion unit to thereby recognize the user'"'"'s voice command, and which is further capable of retrieving the corresponding remote-control command code from the command code database; and

(e) an IR signal emitter, which is capable of modulating the retrieved remote-control command code from the command code database into an IR signal and emitting the wireless signal to the electrical apparatuses to cause one or more of the electrical apparatuses to operate accordingly.

11. The voice-activated remote control unit of claim 10, wherein the IR signal emitter includes:

a circular panel;

three paired IR diode modules, including a first paired IR diode module, a second paired IR diode module, and a third paired IR diode module, which are arranged on the perimeter of the circular panel at 120°

angular intervals, each including a pair of IR diodes arranged to emit IR beams in parallel to each other; and

an IR diode arranged between the first paired IR diode module and the second paired IR diode module and separated from the first paired IR diode module and the second paired IR diode module each by an angular interval of 60°

.