Remote control system, remote controller, information processing apparatus, remote control method, information processing method, and computer program therefor

• US 20070080939A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Isozu, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,018,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 9/00 Remote-control of tuned circuits; Combined remote-control of tuning and other functions, e.g. brightness, amplification mechanical remote-control arrangements H03J1/00 ; using a microprocessor H03J1/0025; constructional details of remote control switching devices H01H9/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45

Abstract

A remote control system includes an information processing apparatus and a remote controller. The remote controller includes a start notification transmitter that transmits a notification for causing the information processing apparatus to start recording an inter-device distance. The information processing apparatus includes a conversion table showing an association between amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined time lengths and operations corresponding to the amounts of change; a start notification receiver; a distance measurement unit that periodically measures the inter-device distance; a measured distance storage unit that stores a measured inter-device distance in association with a measurement sequence; a determination unit that determines whether the amount of change in distance and the time length during which the change has occurred match any of the amounts of change in the conversion table; and an operation executor that executes the associated operation when the match is obtained.

Claims

1. A remote control system comprising:

an information processing apparatus; and

a remote controller that remotely controls the information processing apparatus,

wherein the remote controller includes a start notification transmitter that transmits, to the information processing apparatus, a start notification for causing the information processing apparatus to start recording an inter-device distance, which is the distance from the information processing apparatus to the remote controller, and

wherein the information processing apparatus includes

a conversion table showing an association between time-dependent amounts of change, which are the amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined lengths of time, and operations corresponding to the time-dependent amounts of change,

a start notification receiver that receives the start notification from the remote controller,

a distance measurement unit that measures the inter-device distance periodically at a predetermined time interval,

a measured distance storage unit that stores a measured value of the inter-device distance, which is measured by the distance measurement unit, in association with a sequence of measurements,

a determination unit that determines whether the amount of change in the inter-device distance, which is determined from two or more than two measured values stored in the measured distance storage unit, and the length of time during which the change in the inter-device distance has occurred match any of the time-dependent amounts of change, which are set in the conversion table, and

an operation executor that executes, when the match is obtained by the determination unit, the operation associated with the corresponding time-dependent amount of change.

2. An information processing apparatus remotely controlled by a remote controller, comprising:

a distance measurement unit that measures an inter-device distance, which is the distance from the information processing apparatus to the remote controller, periodically at a predetermined time interval;

a conversion table showing an association between time-dependent amounts of change, which are the amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined lengths of time, and operations corresponding to the time-dependent amounts of change;

a measured distance storage unit that stores a measured value of the inter-device distance, which is measured by the distance measurement unit, in association with a sequence of measurements;

a determination unit that determines whether the amount of change in the inter-device distance, which is determined from two or more than two measured values stored in the measured distance storage unit, and the length of time during which the change in the inter-device distance has occurred match any of the time-dependent amounts of change, which are set in the conversion table; and

an operation executor that executes, when the match is obtained by the determination unit, the operation associated with the corresponding time-dependent amount of change.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the measured distance storage unit stores the measured value in association with time information specifying a time at which the measured value is measured by the distance measurement unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit performs the determination periodically at the predetermined time interval.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit performs the determination when the measured value measured by the distance measurement unit is a predetermined value.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a start notification receiver that receives, from the remote controller, a start notification for instructing starting of recording of the inter-device distance,

wherein the distance measurement unit starts measuring the inter-device distance when the start notification receiver receives the start notification.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit performs the determination after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of the measurement of the inter-device distance by the distance measurement unit.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an end notification receiver that receives, from the remote controller, an end notification instructing ending of recording of the inter-device distance,

wherein the determination unit performs the determination when the end notification receiver receives the end notification.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the distance measurement unit includes

a sensor that transmits a packet to the remote controller, receives a response packet associated with the transmitted packet from the remote controller, and computes a round-trip transmission time of the packet on the basis of necessary time from transmission of the packet to reception of the response packet, and

a distance calculator that calculates the inter-device distance on the basis of the round-trip transmission time.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit,

wherein the operation executor changes the display state of an item displayed on the display unit.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display unit is capable of displaying the item in three dimensions.

12. A computer program for allowing an information processing apparatus remotely controlled by a remote controller to perform the steps of:

measuring an inter-device distance, which is the distance from the information processing apparatus to the remote controller, periodically at a predetermined time interval;

recording a measured value of the inter-device distance in association with a sequence of measurements;

determining, on the basis of a conversion table showing an association between time-dependent amounts of change, which are the amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined lengths of time, and operations corresponding to the time-dependent amounts of change, whether the amount of change in the inter-device distance, which is determined from two or more than two recorded measured values, and the length of time during which the change in the inter-device distance has occurred match any of the time-dependent amounts of change, which are set in the conversion table; and

executing, when the match is obtained as a result of the determination, the operation associated with the corresponding time-dependent amount of change.

13. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus remotely controlled by a remote controller, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring an inter-device distance, which is the distance from the information processing apparatus to the remote controller, periodically at a predetermined time interval;

recording a measured value of the inter-device distance in association with a sequence of measurements;

determining, on the basis of a conversion table showing an association between time-dependent amounts of change, which are the amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined lengths of time, and operations corresponding to the time-dependent amounts of change, whether the amount of change in the inter-device distance, which is determined from two or more than two recorded measured values, and the length of time during which the change in the inter-device distance has occurred match any of the time-dependent amounts of change, which are set in the conversion table; and

executing, when the match is obtained as a result of the determination, the operation associated with the corresponding time-dependent amount of change.

14. A remote controller for remotely controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising:

a distance measurement unit that measures an inter-device distance, which is the distance from the information processing apparatus to the remote controller, periodically at a predetermined time interval;

a conversion table showing an association between time-dependent amounts of change, which are the amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined lengths of time, and operations corresponding to the time-dependent amounts of change;

a measured distance storage unit that stores a measured value of the inter-device distance, which is measured by the distance measurement unit, in association with a sequence of measurements;

a determination unit that determines whether the amount of change in the inter-device distance, which is determined from two or more than two measured values stored in the measured distance storage unit, and the length of time during which the change in the inter-device distance has occurred match any of the time-dependent amounts of change, which are set in the conversion table; and

an operation command unit that commands, when the match is obtained by the determination unit, the information processing apparatus to execute the operation associated with the corresponding time-dependent amount of change.

15. The remote controller according to claim 14, further comprising a recording start instruction unit that gives an instruction to the distance measurement unit to start recording the inter-device distance,

wherein the distance measurement unit starts measuring the inter-device distance upon reception of the instruction from the recording start instruction unit.

16. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the determination unit performs the determination after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of the measurement of the inter-device distance by the distance measurement unit.

17. The remote controller according to claim 15, further comprising a recording end instruction unit that gives an instruction to the distance measurement unit to end recording the inter-device distance,

wherein the determination unit performs the determination upon reception of the instruction from the recording end instruction unit.

18. The remote controller according to claim 14, further comprising a command display unit,

wherein the operation command unit allows the command display unit to display information specifying an operation commanded to be executed by the information processing apparatus.

19. A computer program for allowing a remote controller for remotely controlling an information processing apparatus to perform the steps of:

measuring an inter-device distance, which is the distance from the information processing apparatus to the remote controller, periodically at a predetermined time interval;

recording a measured value of the inter-device distance in association with a sequence of measurements;

determining, on the basis of a conversion table showing an association between time-dependent amounts of change, which are the amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined lengths of time, and operations corresponding to the time-dependent amounts of change, whether the amount of change in the inter-device distance, which is determined from two or more than two recorded measured values, and the length of time during which the change in the inter-device distance has occurred match any of the time-dependent amounts of change, which are set in the conversion table; and

commanding, when the match is obtained as a result of the determination, the information processing apparatus to execute the operation associated with the corresponding time-dependent amount of change.

20. A remote control method for a remote controller for remotely controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

measuring an inter-device distance, which is the distance from the information processing apparatus to the remote controller, periodically at a predetermined time interval;

recording a measured value of the inter-device distance in association with a sequence of measurements;

determining, on the basis of a conversion table showing an association between time-dependent amounts of change, which are the amounts of change in the inter-device distance within predetermined lengths of time, and operations corresponding to the time-dependent amounts of change, whether the amount of change in the inter-device distance, which is determined from two or more than two recorded measured values, and the length of time during which the change in the inter-device distance has occurred match any of the time-dependent amounts of change, which are set in the conversion table; and

commanding, when the match is obtained as a result of the determination, the information processing apparatus to execute the operation associated with the corresponding time-dependent amount of change.