CLOSED LOOP UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL

• US 20120068833A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rothkopf, Fletcher, Lynch, Stephen Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,607,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/12.22
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/51 Remote controlling of devices based on replies, status thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control

Abstract

An electronic device configured for closed loop remote control functionality and related methods are disclosed herein. In particular, in one embodiment, an electronic device configured for closed loop remote control functionality is provided. The device includes a processor and a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit instructions to a remotely controlled device. Additionally, the device includes an input device configured to allow a user to provide input to the electronic device related to remote control and one or more sensors configured to obtain information related to a state of the remotely controlled device. The processor is configured to use the information obtained by the one or more sensors to determine the state of the remote controlled devices upon receiving the input from a user to transmit instructions.

Claims

1. An electronic device configured for closed loop remote control functionality comprising:

a processor;

a transmitter coupled to the processor, the transmitter being configured to wirelessly transmit instructions to a remotely controlled device;

an input device configured to allow a user to provide input to the electronic device related to remote control; and

one or more sensors configured to obtain information related to a state of the remotely controlled device, wherein the processor is configured to use the information obtained by the one or more sensors to determine the state of the remote controlled devices upon receiving input from a user to transmit instructions.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the one or more sensors comprises a camera and the information obtained is an image of the remotely controlled device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the one or more sensors comprises a microphone and the information obtained is sound collected by the microphone.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the image to determine the color of status indicator lights.

5. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the image to determine if light is emanating from the remotely controlled device.

6. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine if characters are present in the image;

recognize the characters; and

determine a status of the remotely controlled devices based on the recognized characters.

7. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determining a presence of an on screen status indicator;

recognizing the presence of the on screen indicator as indicating a state change of the remotely controlled device; and

determining a new state of the remotely controlled device.

8. The electronic device of claim 3 wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the sound collected by the microphone to determine if the remotely controlled device is on.

9. The electronic device of claim 3 wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the sound collected by the microphone to determine if the status of the remotely controlled device has changed.

10. A method of operating an electronic device as a closed-loop remote control comprising:

receiving input from a user to change a state of a remote controlled device;

obtaining input related to the state of the remote controlled device;

determining the state of the remote controlled device;

transmitting a command to change the state of the remote controlled device;

obtaining input related to the state of the remote controlled device;

determining the state of the remote controlled device; and

discerning whether the state of the device changed in response to the transmitted command to change the state of the remote controlled device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising re-transmitting the command to change the state of the remote control device if the state of the remote controlled device did not change.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein obtaining input related to the state of the remote controlled device comprises capturing an image with a camera.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein obtaining input related to the state of the remote controlled device comprises recording sound with a microphone.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the state of the remote controlled device comprises determining a color of status indicator lights.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the state of the remote controlled device comprises:

determining the presence of characters on the remote controlled device; and

recognizing the characters as indicative of an operative state of the device.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein discerning whether the state of the device changed comprises determining if an on-screen status indicator was displayed.

17. A method of operating a remote control comprising:

receiving user input related to the state of a controlled device;

determining a state of the controlled device;

determining if the state of the controlled device should change in accordance with the user input;

sending command to change state of the controlled device is it should change; and

returning to a standby state if it is determined that the state of the controlled device should not change.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein determining the state of the controlled device comprises at least one of capturing an image using a camera of the remote control and capturing sound using a microphone of the remote control.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining if the state of the controlled device should change comprises determining if the controlled device is on, if the user input was to turn the controlled device on.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

transmitting a command to change the state of the controlled device;

determining if the state of the controlled device changed in response to the transmitted command.