Remote coordinate designating device

• US 5,949,403 A
• Filed: 11/29/1995
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Masahiro, Muta, Tomomitsu, Saito, Junichi, Umeda, Yuichi, Uchio, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/565,659
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/166, 345/169, 348/734, 340/825.72, 340/825.57, 340/825.69
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0025 in a remote control unit remote control tuning in general H03J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/22 Remote control device controlling cursor and/or including a cursor detecting device
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 9/06 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. light

Abstract

A remote coordinate designating device has a remote control with a light emitting device for emitting light, and a controller for detecting a designated position by receiving light from the remote control at a distance from the remote control. One cycle of a light signal from the light emitting device is composed of switch data and a coordinate detection timing header at the head, and a coordinate detection carrier. The switch data and the coordinate detection timing header use the same frequency as the normal remote control frequency band, and the frequency of the coordinate detection carrier is lower than the frequency of the switch data and the coordinate detection timing header. The switch data contains on-off information about a switch for pointing, and coordinate detection is started when a predetermined time has passed from the rise of a burst portion in the switch data.

Claims

1. A remote coordinate designating device, comprising:

a remote control having a light emitting device for emitting light; and

a controller for detecting a designated position by receiving light from said remote control at a distance from said remote control,

wherein one cycle of a light signal from said light emitting device is composed of switch data and a coordinate detection timing header at the head, and a coordinate detection carrier, said switch data and said coordinate detection timing header use the same frequency as the normal remote control frequency band, the frequency of said coordinate detection carrier is lower than the frequency of said switch data and said coordinate detection timing header, said switch data contains on-off information about a switch for pointing, and coordinate detection is started when a predetermined time has passed from the rise of a burst portion in said switch data.

2. A remote coordinate designating device, comprising:

a remote control having a light emitting device for emitting light; and

a controller for detecting a designated position by receiving light from said remote control at a distance from said remote control,

wherein said remote control comprises a center light emitting device located in the center, and an upper, lower, right and left light emitting devices arranged around said center light emitting device and tilted in such directions that the optical axes thereof extend away from said center light emitting device,

wherein said center light emitting device and said right light emitting device are paired, said center light emitting device and said left light emitting device are paired, said center light emitting device and said upper light emitting device are paired, and said center light emitting device and said lower light emitting device are paired, such that said pairs of light emitting devices are illuminated alternatively.

3. A remote coordinate designating device according to claim 2, wherein said right, left, upper and lower light emitting devices are arranged in about one line centered with respect to said center light emitting device.

4. A remote coordinate designating device of claim 2, wherein a half-value angle of said center light emitting device is equal to or smaller than a half-value angle of said right, left, upper, or lower light emitting device.

5. A remote control coordinate designating device, comprising:

a light emitting device for emitting an angle detection signal and a remote control code signal,

a first circuit for processing said angle detection signal, said first circuit comprises a photoreceptor for converting said angle detection signal into a current value, a variable gain device coupled to said photoreceptor for converting said current value into a voltage, a variable gain amplifier coupled to said variable gain device for receiving said voltage, and a first bandpass filter coupled to said variable gain amplifier for allowing only a coordinate detection carrier signal to be passed to a central processing unit, and

a second circuit for processing said remote control signal, said second circuit comprises an automatic gain control amplifier for receiving a switch data and a coordinate detection timing header signal, a second bandpass filter coupled to said automatic gain control amplifier for filtering a remote control code, a detector coupled to said second bandpass filter for detecting said remote control code and passing said remote control code to a low-pass filter, a waveform shaping device coupled to said low pass filter for receiving said remote control code and producing an output data which is received by said central processing unit.