Interfacing system between digital TV and plurality of remote controllers, method thereof, remote controller thereof, and remote controller signal transmitting method thereof

• US 20050097611A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Ik Ju
• Granted Patent: US 7,647,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/81
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for interfacing between a digital TV and a plurality of remote controllers, remote controller thereof, and remote controller signal transmitting method thereof, by which Java API enabling to support a plurality of remote controllers is defined to enable interfacing between the digital TV and a plurality of the remote controllers. In interfacing between a digital TV and a plurality of remote controllers, the present invention includes the steps of defining an event class including remote controller identifiers enabling to identify a plurality of the remote controllers, respectively and identifying a plurality of the remote controllers using the event class including the remote controller identifiers, respectively and controlling the digital TV according to a signal received from the identified remote controller.

Claims

1. In interfacing between a digital TV and a plurality of remote controllers, an interfacing method comprising the steps of:

defining an event class including remote controller identifiers enabling to identify a plurality of the remote controllers, respectively; and

identifying a plurality of the remote controllers using the event class including the remote controller identifiers, respectively and controlling the digital TV according to a signal received from the identified remote controller.

2. The interfacing method of claim 1, wherein in the step of defining the event class, signal informations for keys supported by each of a plurality of the remote controllers are further defined.

3. The interfacing method of claim 1, wherein in the step of defining the event class, a function enabling to identify one remote controller set to a default is further defined.

4. In interfacing between a digital TV and a plurality of remote controllers, an interfacing method comprising the steps of:

defining an event class including remote controller identifiers enabling to identify a plurality of the remote controllers, respectively;

identifying a plurality of the remote controllers using the remote controller identifiers included in the event class, respectively;

generating an event signal corresponding to the identified remote controller; and

controlling the digital TV according to the event signal.

5. The interfacing method of claim 4, wherein in the step of defining the event class, signal informations for keys supported by each of a plurality of the remote controllers are further defined.

6. The interfacing method of claim 4, wherein in the step of defining the event class, a function enabling to identify one remote controller set to a default is further defined.

7. The interfacing method of claim 4, the step of identifying a plurality of the remote controllers respectively, comprising the steps of:

deciding whether the remote controller identifiers are included in signals outputted from a plurality of the remote controllers, respectively; and

if the remote controller identifier is included, identifying the remote controller corresponding to the remote controller identifier.

8. The interfacing method of claim 7, wherein if the remote controller identifier is not included, the corresponding remote controller is identified as a remote controller set to a default.

9. An interfacing system between a digital TV and a plurality of remote controllers, comprising:

a reception unit receiving signals from a plurality of the remote controllers;

a memory storing a resource for information used in analyzing to convert remote controller identifiers for identifying a plurality of the remote controllers and remote controller signals to appropriate events, respectively; and

a control unit identifying the remote controller corresponding to the signal received by the reception unit using the remote controller identifier, the control unit generating an event signal corresponding to the identified remote controller to control the digital TV according to the event signal.

10. The interfacing system of claim 9, wherein the resource includes an event manager managing an event generation according to the signal of the identified remote controller.

11. The interfacing system of claim 9, wherein the resource defines the information used in analyzing to convert the remote controller identifier enabling to one remote controller set to a default and the remote control to the appropriate event.

12. The interfacing system of claim 9, wherein the reception unit receives at least one selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), RF, and Blue-Tooth signals.

13. The interfacing system of claim 9, wherein the control unit decides whether the remote controller identifier is included in the signal received by the reception unit, wherein the control unit identifies the remote controller corresponding to the remote controller identifier if the remote controller identifier is decided to be included in the signal, and wherein the control unit identifies the corresponding remote controller as the remote controller set to a default if the remote controller identifier is decided not be included in the signal.

14. A remote controller interfacing with a digital TV, comprising:

a key input unit for inputting key signals;

a memory storing a remote controller key code and a remote controller identifier corresponding to each key of the key input unit;

a control signal generating unit extracting the remote controller key code and the remote controller identifier corresponding to the inputted key signal from the memory, the control signal generating unit generating a control signal by including the remote controller identifier in the extracted remote controller key code; and

a transmission unit transmitting the control signal generated from the control signal generating unit.

15. The remote controller of claim 14, wherein the key input unit includes an identifier input key for generating the remote controller identifier.

16. The remote controller of claim 15, further comprising a remote controller identifier generating unit generating a new remote controller identifier by the key signal of the identifier input key to store the generated remote controller identifier in the memory.

17. The remote controller of claim 14, the control signal generating unit comprising:

an extracting unit extracting the remote controller key code and the remote controller identifier corresponding to the inputted key signal; and

an identifier inserting unit inserting the remote controller identifier in the extracted remote controller key code.

18. The remote controller of claim 14, wherein the transmission unit transmits at least one signal selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), RF, and Blue-Tooth signals.

19. In transmitting signals of a plurality of remote controllers for interfacing with a digital TV, a remote controller signal transmitting method comprising the steps of:

inputting a specific key signal;

extracting a remote controller key code and a remote controller identifier corresponding to the inputted key signal;

generating a control signal by including the remote controller identifier in the extracted remote controller key code; and

transmitting the generated control signal.

20. The remote controller signal transmitting method of claim 19, after the step of inputting the specific key signal, further comprising the steps of:

deciding whether the inputted key signal is an identifier input key signal for generating the remote controller identifier; and

if the inputted key signal is the identifier input key signal, generating a new remote controller identifier and then storing the generated remote controller identifier in the memory to end a corresponding operation.

21. The remote controller signal transmitting method of claim 20, wherein if the inputted key signal is the identifier input key signal, the step of extracting the remote controller key code and the remote controller identifier corresponding to the inputted key signal is executed.