Remote control system, electronic device, and program

• US 20030080874A1
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yumoto, Takayuki, Narioka, Hiroto
• Granted Patent: US 7,027,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.71
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/61 Password, biometric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

A remote control system is constructed from a simple device configuration in which a device like a relay is not used. A higher degree of flexibility is provided to types of devices to be controlled which can be remotely controlled, and a control device which performs remote control. ABILITY information indicating the ability of an input operation function of the control device is transmitted from the control device to the device to be controlled. The device to be controlled creates conversion-into-remote-controller data on the basis of this ability information and transmits the data to the control device. Then, the control device creates a GUI by using the received conversion-into-remote-controller data. As a result, an electronic device serving as a control device can function as a remote controller which remotely controls a specific device to be controlled.

Claims

1. A remote control system comprising:

a control device; and

a device to be controlled, which can communicate with the control device via a predetermined communication path,

wherein said control device comprises;

input operation means capable of performing an input operation;

ability information transmission means for transmitting ability information indicating ability of said input operation means to said device to be controlled;

user interface forming means for forming a user interface which is used to operate said device to be controlled by using conversion-into-remote-controller information, which is transmitted by said device to be controlled in response to the reception of said ability information; and

operation information transmission means for transmitting operation information corresponding to the operation performed on said input operation means to said device to be controlled in a state in which said user interface is formed, and

wherein said device to be controlled comprises;

conversion-into-remote-controller information creation means for creating, on the basis of said received ability information, said conversion-into-remote-controller information used to form said user interface which can be realized within the range of the ability of said input operation means;

conversion-into-remote-controller information transmission means for transmitting said conversion-into-remote-controller information to said control device; and

operation control means for performing operation control in said device to be controlled so that a predetermined operation is performed in accordance with said received operation information.

2. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said conversion-into-remote-controller information transmission means of said device to be controlled can create said conversion-into-remote-controller information corresponding to the result of the operation control performed by said operation control means.

3. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said control device further comprises search means for searching for an electronic device, which can become a device to be controlled which can be communicated via said communication path.

4. A remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said control device further comprises:

authentication information transmission means for transmitting authentication information to said device to be controlled; and

operation control means for performing predetermined operation control corresponding to the authentication result information received via said communication path, and

wherein said device to be controlled further comprises;

authentication processing means for performing an authentication process for determining capability of remote control for the device to be controlled in response to the reception of said authentication information; and

authentication result information transmission means for transmitting said authentication result information obtained by said authentication processing means to said control device.

5. An electronic device comprising:

communication means capable of communicating with another electronic device to be controlled via a predetermined communication path;

input operation means capable of performing an input operation;

ability information transmission means for transmitting, by using said communication means, ability information indicating ability of said input operation means to said device to be controlled;

user interface forming means for forming a user interface which is used to operate said device to be controlled by using conversion-into-remote-controller information, which is transmitted by said device to be controlled in response to the reception of said ability information, for forming a user interface which can be realized within the ability range of said input operation means when the conversion-into-remote-controller information is received by said communication means; and

operation information transmission means for transmitting, by using said communication means, the operation information corresponding to the operation performed on said input operation means to said device to be controlled in a state in which said user interface is formed.

6. An electronic device according to claim 5, further comprising search means for searching for an electronic device, which can become an electronic device to be controlled which can be communicated via said communication path.

7. An electronic device according to claim 5, further comprising:

authentication information transmission means for transmitting, to an electronic device to be controlled, authentication information used by said electronic device to be controlled for an authentication process for determining the capability as to remote control by said electronic device by using said communication means; and

operation control means for performing predetermined operation control corresponding to authentication result information transmitted from said device to be controlled which has performed an authentication process on the basis of said authentication information when this information is received by said communication means.

8. A program for causing an electronic device to execute:

a communication step in which communication with an electronic device to be controlled, which is a control target, via a predetermined communication path is possible;

an ability information transmission step in which ability information indicating the ability of an input operation function possessed by said electronic device is transmitted to said device to be controlled in said communication step;

a user interface forming step of forming a user interface which is used to operate said device to be controlled by using conversion-into-remote-controller information, which is transmitted by said device to be controlled in response to the reception of said ability information, for forming a user interface which can be realized within the ability range of said operation information function, when the conversion-into-remote-controller information is received in said communication means; and

an operation information transmission step of transmitting, in said transmission step, operation information corresponding to the input operation performed in a state in which said user interface is formed.

9. An electronic device comprising:

communication means capable of communicating with a controlling electronic device for which said electronic device is a control target via a predetermined communication path;

conversion-into-remote-controller information creation means for creating conversion-into-remote-controller information for forming a user interface which can be realized within the ability range of said operation information function on the basis of ability information, received by said communication means, indicating the ability of operation information means of said controlling electronic device;

conversion-into-remote-controller information transmission means for transmitting said conversion-into-remote-controller information to said controlling electronic device by using said communication means; and

operation control means for performing operation control in said electronic device so that a predetermined operation is performed in such a manner as to correspond to operation information, which is transmitted by said controlling electronic device in response to the input operation performed on said input operation means under the user interface formed using said conversion-into-remote-controller information, when this information is received by said communication means.

10. An electronic device according to claim 9, wherein said conversion-into-remote-controller information transmission means can create said conversion-into-remote-controller information corresponding to the result of the operation control performed by said operation control means.

11. An electronic device according to claim 9, further comprising:

authentication processing means for performing an authentication process for determining capability as to remote control for said electronic device by said controlling electronic device by using authentication information transmitted from said controlling electronic device when this information is received by said communication means; and

authentication result information transmission means for transmitting said authentication result information obtained by said authentication processing means to said control device by using communication means.

12. A program for causing an electronic device to execute:

a communication step in which communication with a controlling electronic device for which another electronic device is a control target is possible via a predetermined communication path;

a conversion-into-remote-controller information creation step for creating conversion-into-remote-control information for forming a user interface which can be realized within the ability range of said operation information function on the basis of ability information, which is received in said communication step, indicating the ability of operation information means of said controlling electronic device;

a conversion-into-remote-controller information transmission step of transmitting said conversion-into-remote-controller information to said controlling electronic device in said communication step; and

an operation control step of performing operation control in said electronic device so that a predetermined operation is performed in such a manner as to correspond to operation information, which is transmitted by said controlling electronic device in response to the input operation performed under the user interface formed using said conversion-into-remote-controller information, when this information is received in said communication step.