Television receiver with remote control system capable of controlling associated peripheral devices manufactured by different companies

• US 5,081,534 A
• Filed: 08/04/1989
• Issued: 01/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbH D-7730 Villingen-Schwennigen West Germany
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Thomson Brandt Gmbh
• Inventors: Geiger, Erich, Schiering, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Application Number:
  US07/389,729
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 358/194.1, 455/151, 455/352, 455/353, 455/603, 340/825.69
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

A control arrangement for a home entertainment unit, including a television receiver and one or more peripheral devices, such as a video recorder, coupled to the television receiver, includes a single remote control transmitter for transmitting a remote control signal to the television receiver, which, in turn, passes on control instructions to the peripheral devices. To allow such a remote control operation, even when one or more of the peripheral devices is produced by a manufacturer different than that of the television receiver and which therefore requires a different remote control code, the television receiver has a memory in which, under the control of a microprocessor, the remote control codes allocated to respective function control keys of the remote control transmitter supplied with a peripheral device are stored during a learning process. During the learning process, the screen of the television receiver displays messages for instructing the user which function control key of the remote control transmitter associated with the peripheral device to press. Thereafter, when a device function control key of the remote control transmitter supplied with the television receiver is pressed, the microprocessor, working in conjunction with the memory, converts or translates the codes contained within the received remote control messages to codes corresponding to the peripheral device and a correspondingly encoded remote control signal is relayed by the television receiver to the peripheral device.

Claims

1. In a system including a main video or audio signal processing device capable of generating and transmitting first function control signals having a first code format to at least one peripheral video or audio signal processing device of a given type that may be coupled to said main device to control various functions of said peripheral device in response to remote control signals corresponding to said first code format received from a remote control transmitter, apparatus included in said main device for allowing another peripheral video or audio signal processing device of said given type that also may be coupled to said main video or audio signal processing device but which responds to second function control signals having a second code format, different from said first code format, to be controlled by said remote control transmitter in response to said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format, said apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing said second function control signals corresponding to said second code format;

converting means coupled to said memory means and operating in conjunction therewith for generating said second function control signals having said second code format in response to respective ones of said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format during a normal mode of operation; and

coupling means for coupling said second function control signals to said other peripheral device from said main device during said normal mode of operation;

said other peripheral device having associated with it another remote control transmitter for generating remote control signals allocated to various functions of said other peripheral device and corresponding to said second code format;

said main device responding to said remote control signals corresponding to said second code format for storing said second function control signals in said memory means in a manner allocated to respective ones of said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format during a learning mode of operation.

2. The system define in claim 1, wherein:

said main device is a television receiver and said one and said other peripheral devices are video recorders.

3. The system defined in claim 1, wherein:

said television receiver includes display means for displaying an image in response to a video signal during said normal mode of operation; and

said display means displays messages for instructing a user to operate said remote control transmitter associated with said other peripheral device to allocate said first function control signals to various functions of said other peripheral device during said learning mode of operation.

4. The system defined in claim 3, wherein:

said instructions instruct the user to press function keys of said remote control transmitter of said other peripheral device to allocate said first function control signals to various functions of said other peripheral device one after another during said learning mode of operation.

5. The system defined in claim 3, wherein:

said massages include lettered characters.

6. The system defined in claim 3, wherein:

said instructions instruct the user as to which function keys of said remote control transmitter of said other peripheral device to press to allocate said first function control signals to various functions of said other peripheral device during said learning mode.

7. The system defined in claim 1, wherein:

said main device generates remote control signals corresponding to said second code format in response to remote control signals of said first code format during said normal mode of operation; and

said coupling means includes remote control transmitter means for coupling said remote control signals corresponding to said second code format to said other peripheral device.

8. In a system including a main video or audio signal processing device capable of generating and transmitting first function control signals having a first code format to at least one peripheral video of audio signal processing device of a given type that may be coupled to said main device to control various functions of said peripheral device in response to remote control signals corresponding to said first code format received from a remote control transmitter, apparatus included in said main device for allowing another peripheral video or audio signal processing device of said given type that also may be coupled to said main video or audio signal processing device but which responds to second function control signals having a second code format, different from said first code format, to be controlled by said remote control transmitter in response to said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format, said apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing said second function control signals corresponding to said second code format;

converting means coupled to said memory means and operating in conjunction therewith for generating said second function control signals having said second code format in response to respective ones of said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format during a normal mode of operation; and

coupling means for coupling said second function control signals to said other peripheral device from said main device during said normal mode of operation;

said other peripheral device having associated with it another remote control transmitter for generating remote control signals allocated to various functions of said other peripheral device and corresponding to said second code format;

said main device responding to said remote control signals corresponding to said second code format for storing said second function control signals in said memory means in a manner allocated to respective ones of said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format during a learning mode of operation;

said main device further including display means for displaying an image in response to a video signal during said normal mode of operation;

said display means displaying messages for instructing a user to operate said remote control transmitter associated with said other peripheral device to allocate said first function control signals to various functions of said other peripheral device during said learning mode of operation;

said instructions instructing the user as to which function keys of said remote control transmitter of said other peripheral device to press to allocate said first function control signals to various functions of said other peripheral device during said learning mode.

9. In a system including a main video or audio signal processing device capable of generating and transmitting first function control signals having a first code format to at least one peripheral video or audio signal processing device of a given type that may be coupled to said main device to control various functions of said peripheral device in response to remote control signal corresponding to said first code format received form a remote control transmitter, apparatus included in said main device for allowing another peripheral video or audio signal processing device of said given type that also may be coupled to said main video or audio signal processing device but which responds to second function control signals having a second code format, different from said first code format, to be controlled by said remote control transmitter in response to said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format, said apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing said second function control signals corresponding to said second code format;

converting means coupled to said memory means and operating in conjunction therewith for generating said second function control signals having said second code format in response to respective ones of said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format during a normal mode of operation; and

coupling means for coupling said second function control signals to said other peripheral device from said main device during said normal mode of operation;

said other peripheral device having associated with it another remote control transmitter for generating remote control signals allocated to various functions of said other peripheral device and corresponding to said second code format;

said main device responding to said remote control signals corresponding to said second code format for storing said second function control signals in said memory means in a manner allocated to respective ones of said remote control signals corresponding to said first code format during a learning mode of operation;

said main device generating remote control signals corresponding to said second code format in response to remote control signals of said first code format during said normal mode of operation;

said coupling means including remote control transmitter means for coupling said remote control signals corresponding to said second code format to said other peripheral device.