Wireless remote control for electronic equipment

• US 5,528,264 A
• Filed: 09/08/1993
• Issued: 06/18/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Putra, Timothy P., Kautzer, Jeffrey A., Relihan, Gary F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stoll, Kara Farnandez
• Application Number:
  US08/118,409
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 340/706, 340/709, 340/710, 340/711, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 341/176, 341/177, 358/194.1, 358/210, 375/8, 375/121, 375/22, 375/272, 375/303, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 455/352, 455/353, 359/147, 359/189, 348/734
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0308 comprising a plurality of distinctive and separately oriented light emitters or reflectors associated to the pointing device, e.g. remote cursor controller with distinct and separately oriented LEDs at the tip whose radiations are captured by a photo-detector associated to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

A hand-held device produces an omnidirectional beam of infra-red light which can be aimed by the user. A plurality of detectors positioned in a rectangular array adjacent a video monitor and each detector produces an electrical signal that varies as a function of the light intensity impinging thereon. A circuit compares the signals from the detectors to determine coordinates of a position on the monitor at which to place a cursor. A linear transfer function is applied to the detector signals before determining the coordinates. The coordinates are processed by a seventh order recursive digital filter and the resultant position must be a minimum distance from the present position before the cursor is relocated. By varying the direction of the light beam the cursor position can be changed. When the cursor is at the position desired by the user, the hand-held device is activated to produce a different light beam. The circuit responds to this change in the light beam by producing a signal indicating that the user has selected the present position of the cursor.

Claims

1. A remote control for use with an apparatus for positioning a cursor on a monitor screen in which the apparatus includes a plurality of radiation detectors and a mechanism that determines a position at which to place the cursor by comparing signals from the detectors;

said remote control comprising;

a user operable switch having first and second states;

a signal generator that produces an alternating signal which alternates at a given frequency;

a first means for producing a first signal formed by pulses of the alternating signal which pulses of the first signal occur at a first rate;

a second means for producing a second signal formed by pulses of the alternating signal which pulses of the second signal occur at a second rate; and

a radiation emitter connected to said first and second means for producing signals, said emitter producing a beam of radiation which is modulated by the first signal in response to said switch being in the first state, and producing a beam of radiation which is modulated by the second signal in response to said switch being in the second state.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a time determining means which causes said emitter to produce a beam of radiation which is pulsed by the second signal only for a defined interval of time while said switch is in the second state, so that after the defined interval of time said emitter does not produce a beam of radiation until said switch is placed into the first state.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said signal generator comprises:

an oscillator that generates the alternating signal; and

a frequency divider that produces a first control signal that alternates at the first rate and a second control signal that alternates at the second rate;

wherein the alternating signal and the first control signal are applied to the first means for producing, and the alternating signal and the second control signal are applied to the second means for producing.

4. An apparatus to input information into a programmable device, said apparatus comprising:

a hand-held control including;

(a) a signal generator that generates an alternating signal having a given frequency, and produces a first signal formed by pulses of the alternating signal which pulses of the first signal occur at a first rate and produces a second signal formed by pulses of the alternating signal which pulses of the second signal occur at a second rate,

(b) a user operable switch coupled to the signal generator,

(c) a timer which defines a period of time and which is coupled to the signal generator, and

(d) a light emitter being driven by the first signal to emit light when the switch is in a first state, and being driven by the second signal to emit light for only the period of time defined by said timer when the switch is in the second state wherein after that period of time said emitter does not emit light until said switch is placed into the first state;

means for displaying information;

means for generating indicia of operational parameters of the programmable device on said means for displaying information;

a plurality of detectors responsive to light from said light emitter and located in a two-dimension array in proximity to said means for displaying information, each detector producing an electrical signal having a characteristic that varies as a function of an intensity of light impinging thereupon;

a positioning means, responsive to the electrical signals from said plurality of detectors, for determining a position at which to locate a cursor on said means for displaying information;

means, responsive to said positioning means, for generating a cursor on said means for displaying information; and

means for determining a selection of an indicia by a user in response to a signal from said detectors and the location of the cursor received from said positioning means.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said positioning means comprises:

means for calculating X and Y coordinates which indicate the position at which to place the cursor; and

a low pass filter connected to said means for calculating for removing effects of electronic noise from the X and Y coordinates.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said positioning means determines a position at which to locate the cursor only when that position differs by at least a given amount from a present position of the cursor.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein:

said positioning means determines a position at which to locate a cursor in response to said plurality of detectors sensing pulses of light occurring at the first rate; and

said means for determining a selection of an indicia being responsive to said plurality of detectors sensing pulses of light occurring at the second rate.

8. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein:

said plurality of detectors are positioned at edges of a rectangle adjacent said means for displaying information; and

said means for determining a position calculates X and Y coordinates indicating the position at which to place the cursor according to the following equations;

##EQU2## where Va, Vb, Vc and Vd represent a characteristic of the signal from a different detector, W represents a maximum value for the X coordinate, and H represents a maximum value for the Y coordinate.

9. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein said positioning means applies a linear transfer function to values representing the characteristics of the electrical signals before determining a position on said means for displaying information at which to place the cursor.

10. The system recited in claim 9 wherein the application of the linear transfer function converts characteristic values below a defined threshold to zero.