Remote control signal receiver and method, and remote control system

• US 6,400,280 B1
• Filed: 12/05/1997
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Osakabe, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US08/985,711
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.25, 340/821.27, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 348/173, 348/176, 348/175, 348/734, 379/102, 370/447
• US Class Current: 340/4.41
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0025 in a remote control unit remote control tuning in general H03J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/23 Remote control device with display showing data to be transmitted to the controlled apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver

Abstract

A remote control signal for indicating reproduction of DVD 24 which is transmitted from a bi-directional remote commander, is deciphered by a digital TV 21 and then converted to the data format of an IEEE-1394 serial bus 26, and then transmitted to DVD 24. DVD 24 transmits the response to the received remote control signal to the digital TV 21, and also starts the reproduction operation. The reproduced signal is supplied to the digital TV 21 through the IEEE-1394 serial bus 26. The digital TV 21 transmits the signal corresponding to the response from DVD 24 to the bi-directional remote commander 27, and also displays the pictures corresponding to the reproduced signal and output the voices.

Claims

1. A remote control system for transmitting a remote control signal transmitted from a remote control signal generator among devices which are connected to one another through a serial bus for transmitting digital data bi-directionally, wherein each device includes:

remote control signal reception means for receiving the remote control signal;

conversion means for converting the remote control signal to remote control data in the data format of said serial bus;

transmission means for transmitting the remote control data converted by said conversion means through said serial bus to another prescribed device of said devices which are connected to said serial bus;

remote control data reception means for receiving the remote control data from said other device;

response means for transmitting a response to the remote control data received by said remote control data reception means through said serial bus to said other device;

response reception means for receiving the response which is transmitted through said serial bus by said response means of said other device; and

remote control data transmitting means for generating remote control data corresponding to the response received by said response reception means and transmitting the remote control data to said remote control signal generator;

wherein at least one of said devices has a mode in which the remote control signal from said remote control signal generator is received and a mode in which the remote control signal from said remote control signal generator is not received, and said at least one device further includes;

first restricting means for restricting the number of said devices for receiving the remote control signal; and

second restricting means for restricting the number of said devices for transmitting the remote control data corresponding to the response to the remote control signal.

2. Apparatus for use in a system including a serial data bus connected to said apparatus and to a plurality of devices, said apparatus comprising:

first reception means for receiving a remote control signal from a remote control device;

determining means for determining if the remote control signal is intended for said apparatus, and for determining if the remote control signal is intended for at least one of said devices connected to said serial bus;

conversion means for converting the remote control signal to data in the data format of the serial bus when the determining means determines the remote control signal is intended for said at least one device;

transmission means for transmitting the data converted by said conversion means through said serial bus to said at least one device;

restricting means for restricting the number of said devices connected to said serial bus that are allowed to convert said remote control signal to data for transmission on said serial bus, and for restricting the number of devices that are allowed to return a response to the transmitted data on the serial bus;

second reception means for receiving a response to the transmitted data from said at least one device, the response being received over the serial bus; and

wireless transmission means for wirelessly transmitting a response to the remote control signal corresponding to the response received from the at least one device, to the remote control device.

3. A remote control signal receiving/transmitting method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a remote control receiver, a remote control signal from a remote control device, said remote control receiver being associated with a first device that is connected to a serial bus to which a plurality of devices are connected;

determining if the remote control signal is intended for said first device, and determining if the remote control. signal is intended for at least a second device connected to the serial bus;

converting the remote control signal to data in the data format of the serial bus when it is determined that the remote control signal is intended for the second device;

transmitting the converted data through said serial bus to the second device;

restricting, by said first device, the number of said devices connected to said serial bus that are allowed to convert said remote control signal to a packet for transmission on said serial bus;

restricting, by said first device, the number of devices that are allowed to return a response to the transmitted data on the serial bus;

receiving over said serial bus, by said receiver from said second device, a response to the transmitted data; and

wirelessly transmitting a response to the remote control signal corresponding to the response received from the second device, to the remote control device.