Method of operating a remote control system and a remote control system comprising an RF transmission and receiving system

• US 20030087616A1
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.), Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Wouters, Johan Agnes Emile, Lambrechts, Marc Emiel Celine, Nickson, Robert Edmond Victor A., Phuah, Chookhoon
• Granted Patent: US 6,915,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/151.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/114 Indoor or close-range type systems

Abstract

In a method of operating a remote control system and in such a system comprising an RF transmission and receiving system and an IR transmission device the sub-carrier information of the IR signal is transmitted in the RF signal in a signal separate from the envelope information of the IR signal which is contained in a envelope signal.

Claims

1. A method of operating a remote control system comprising an RF transmission and receiving system (6, 12) which comprises a radio transmitter (8) for transmitting an RF signal (10) and a radio receiver (13) for receiving the RF signal (10) transmitted by the radio transmitter (8), said receiver being coupled to an infrared transmitter (14) for transmitting an IR signal (15) on an IR sub-carrier in response to the receipt of said RF signal (10), characterized in that the RF signal as sent comprises an envelope signal (34) containing information on the envelope of the IR signal and a sub-carrier signal (33) separate from the envelope signal containing information about the sub-carrier of the IR signal.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sub-carrier signal (33) is sent as a header message in front of the envelope signal (34).

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the IR sub-carrier has a frequency higher than 100 kHz.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the IR sub-carrier has a zero frequency.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the remote control system comprises an infrared remote control unit (3) with an infrared transmitter (4) for transmitting an IR signal (5) on an IR sub-carrier and the RF transmission and receiving system (6, 12) comprises an infrared receiver (7) for receiving the IR signal sent by the infrared remote control unit, the infrared receiver (7) being coupled to the radio transmitter (8).

6. A remote control system comprising an RF transmission and receiving system (6, 12) comprising a radio transmitter (8) for transmitting an RF signal (10), a radio receiver (13) for receiving an RF signal (10) transmitted by the radio receiver which is coupled to an infrared transmitter (14) for transmitting an IR signal on an IR sub-carrier in response to the receipt of said RF signal, characterized in that the RF transmission and receiving system comprises means for providing the RF signal with an envelope signal (34) containing information on the envelope of the IR signal and a sub-carrier signal (33) separate from the envelope signal containing information about the sub-carrier of the IR signal.

7. Remote control system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the remote control system comprises an infrared remote control unit (3) with an infrared transmitter (4) for transmitting an IR signal (5) on an IR sub-carrier, and the RF transmission and receiving system (6, 12) comprises an infrared receiver (7) for receiving the IR signal sent by the infrared remote control unit, the infrared receiver (7) being coupled to the radio transmitter (8).

8. A remote control system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the remote control system comprises a remote control unit which comprises both an infrared transmitter for transmitting an IR signal and the radio transmitter for transmitting the RF signal.

9. A remote control system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the remote control system comprises a remote control unit comprising the radio transmitter for transmitting the RF signal.

10. A radio transmitter (8) for transmitting an RF signal (10), comprising an infrared receiver (7) for receiving an IR signal (5) on an IR sub-carrier, characterized in that the radio transmitter comprises means for providing the RF signal with an envelope signal (34) containing information on the envelope of the IR signal and a sub-carrier signal (33) separate from the envelope signal containing information about the sub-carrier of the IR signal.

11. A radio receiver (13) for receiving an RF signal (10), said receiver being coupled to an infrared transmitter (14) for transmitting an IR signal on an IR sub-carrier in response to the receipt of said RF signal, characterized in that the radio receiver comprises means for decoding from the RF signal an envelope signal (34) containing information on the envelope of the IR signal and a sub-carrier signal (33) separate from the envelope signal containing information about the sub-carrier of the IR signal, and for transmitting the IR signal in accordance with said sub-carrier signal.