Remote control device

• US 20040121725A1
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsui, Gantetsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.06
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/71 Directional beams
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A remote control device, which controls any of a plurality of apparatuses by transmitting a remote control signal for controlling a target apparatus in response to a user operation, detects a position of the remote control device and generates self-position information indicating the position, and specifies one of the apparatuses that is the closest in distance from the remote control device, as the target apparatus, based on the generated self-position information and a predetermined criterion. When the remote control device detects a user operation, the remote control device transmits a remote control signal corresponding to the detected user operation.

Claims

1. A remote control device that controls any of a plurality of apparatuses by transmitting a remote control signal for controlling a target apparatus in response to a user operation, comprising:

a self-position detecting unit operable to detect a position of the remote control device and generate self-position information indicating the position;

an apparatus specifying unit operable to specify one of the apparatuses as the target apparatus, based on the generated self-position information and a predetermined criterion;

a control operation detecting unit operable to detect a user operation; and

a transmitting unit operable to transmit a remote control signal corresponding to the detected user operation.

2. A remote control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an apparatus position obtaining unit operable to obtain apparatus position information indicating positions of the apparatuses, wherein

the apparatus specifying unit specifies one of the apparatuses as the target apparatus based on the obtained apparatus position information, and

the predetermined criterion is a positional relation between the remote control device and each of the apparatuses.

3. A remote control device according to claim 2, wherein

the apparatus specifying unit specifies one of the apparatuses as the target apparatus based on a distance between the remote control device and each of the apparatuses, the distance being calculated by referring to the obtained apparatus position information and the generated self-position information.

4. A remote control device according to claim 3, wherein

the apparatus specifying unit specifies, as the target apparatus, an apparatus that is closest in distance to the remote control device out of the apparatuses.

5. A remote control device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a switch operation detecting unit operable to detect a user operation for switching the target apparatus, wherein

when the switch operation detecting unit detects the user operation for switching the target apparatus after at least one of the apparatuses has already been specified, the apparatus specifying unit newly specifies, as the target apparatus, an apparatus that is next closest in distance to the remote control device with respect to a last specified apparatus, and

the remote control signal transmitted from the transmitting unit is for controlling the newly specified apparatus and corresponding to the user operation detected by the controlling operation detecting unit.

6. A remote control device according to claim 5, further comprising:

an apparatus information obtaining unit operable to obtain apparatus information corresponding to an apparatus specified as the target apparatus by the apparatus specifying unit; and

an image displaying unit operable to display an image, every time the apparatus specifying unit newly specifies one of the apparatuses, based on the apparatus information corresponding to the newly specified apparatus.

7. A remote control device according to claim 6, wherein

the apparatus information obtaining unit makes a request to the apparatus for the apparatus information of the apparatus and obtains the apparatus information from the apparatus by communicating with the apparatus specified by the apparatus specifying unit;

and

the transmitting unit transmits a remote control signal determined based on the obtained apparatus information corresponding to the newly specified apparatus, the remote control signal corresponding to the operation detected by the control operation detecting unit.

8. A remote control device according to claim 5, wherein

the switch operation detecting unit detects the user operation for switching the target apparatus by sensing a vibration stronger than a predetermined intensity.

9. A remote control device according to claim 3, wherein

the self-position information also indicates a facing direction of the remote control device, the facing direction corresponding to a direction in which the transmitting unit transmits the remote control signals mainly, and

the apparatus specifying unit specifies, as the target apparatus, an apparatus that is closest in distance to the remote control device out of the apparatuses positioned in an area within a predetermined angle in the facing direction of the remote control device.

10. A remote control device according to claim 3 further comprising:

a record storing unit operable to store an operation history of an apparatus specified as the target apparatus by the apparatus specifying unit, when the control operation detecting unit detects the user operation, wherein

according to the operation history stored in the record storing unit, the apparatus specifying unit specifies, as the target apparatus, one of the apparatuses whose distance to the remote control device is closer than a predetermined distance.

11. A remote control device according to claim 3 further comprising:

a time unit for keeping time, wherein

according to the time indicated by the time unit, the apparatus specifying unit specifies, as the target apparatus, one of the apparatuses whose distance to the remote control device is closer than a predetermined distance.

12. A remote control device according to claim 2, wherein

the apparatus position obtaining unit obtains the apparatus position information by receiving position information from each of the apparatuses, the position information indicating the position of the each of the apparatuses, the apparatus position information being a collection of the position information.

13. A remote control device according to claim 1 further comprising:

an apparatus information obtaining unit operable to obtain operation information corresponding to an apparatus specified as the target apparatus by the apparatus specifying unit; and

a display unit operable to display an image based on the operation information.

14. A remote control device according to claim 1, wherein

the self-position obtaining unit generates the self-position information by calculating the position of the remote control device using a GPS function in which radiowaves from GPS satellites are utilized.

15. A computer program that enables a remote control device to execute a remote control operation for transmitting a remote control signal corresponding to any of a plurality of apparatuses, the remote control operation comprising:

a self-position detecting step for detecting a position of the remote control device and generate self-position information indicating the position;

an apparatus specifying step for specifying one of the apparatuses as the target apparatus, based on the generated self-position information and a predetermined criterion;

a control operation detecting step for detecting a user operation; and

a transmitting step for transmitting a remote control signal corresponding to the detected user operation.