Remote control transmitter and transmitting and receiving device using the same

• US 7,132,957 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2004
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Takaya, Matsui, Noriaki, Sata, Norifumi, Yamamoto, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANGACHON, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US10/890,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20050030434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 341/176, 341/22, 341/33, 341/20, 341/35, 341/5, 386/68, 386/69, 386/83, 348/734, 345/161, 345/15, 345/174
• US Class Current: 340/12.55
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/041 having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0235 specially adapted for remote control, e.g. of audio or video apparatus
• 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 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A substantially ring shaped resistor unit and an conductor unit with a certain space therebetween are provided under an operating unit having a substantially disc shape or a substantially ring shape. When an operating unit is depressed, the resistor unit and the conductor unit are contacted with each other at a position at which the depression is provided. Based on the contact, a controlling part detects the position at which the depression is provided, and a transmitting part transmits a remote control signal corresponding to the position at which the depression is provided.

Claims

1. A remote control transmitter, comprising:

a wiring board where electronic components for generating a remote control signal are mounted;

a housing for installing the wiring board;

an operating unit disposed at an upper face of the housing, an arbitrary portion of an outer part of the operating unit can be moved in a depressed direction;

a resistor unit having a changing amount of resistance according to a position along a and a conductor unit both provided under the operating unit, said resistor unit and said conductor unit opposed to each other with a space therebetween, said resistor unit and said conductor unit contactable with each other at said position along said path;

a controlling part for measuring a voltage output by the conductor unit depending upon said position where said resistor unit and said conductor unit are contacted; and

a transmitting part for transmitting one of a plurality of remote control signals in response to said voltage.

2. The remote control transmitter according to claim 1,

wherein the operating unit has a substantially disc shape or a substantially ring shape;

the resistor unit has a substantially ring shape; and

the conductor unit has a substantially ring shape.

3. The remote control transmitter according to claim 2,

wherein the operating unit is provided at the upper face of the housing so as to be tilted in a direction along which the operating unit is depressed.

4. The remote control transmitter according to claim 3,

wherein the controlling part is electrically connected to a pair of outer parts provided in one diameter direction of the resistor unit and another pair of outer parts provided in another diameter direction substantially orthogonal to the one diameter direction;

and

when the resistor unit is contacted with the conductor unit, the controlling part detects the position at which the resistor unit is contacted with the conductor unit based on resistance between the conductor unit and each of the electrically connected outer parts of the resistor unit.

5. The remote control transmitter according to claim 4,

wherein the controlling part applies a voltage to the pair of outer parts provided in one diameter direction of the resistor unit to measure a voltage outputted from the conductor unit, and also applies a voltage to the another pair of outer parts provided in another diameter direction substantially orthogonal to the one diameter direction of the resistor unit to measure a voltage outputted from the conductor unit and, when the resistor unit is contacted with the conductor unit, the controlling part detects the position at which the resistor unit is contacted with the conductor unit based on the measured voltages from the conductor unit.

6. The remote control transmitter according to claim 5,

wherein the resistor unit is confronted with and provided under the operating unit;

and

the conductor unit is confronted with and provided under the resistor unit.

7. The remote control transmitter according to claim 5,

wherein the conductor unit is confronted with and provided under the operating unit;

and

the resistor unit is confronted with and provided under the conductor unit.

8. The remote control transmitter according to claim 1,

wherein a depressible unit is provided at a center part of the operating unit.

9. A transmitting and receiving device, comprising:

the remote control transmitter according to claim 1 and a receiver having a reception part and a display part,

wherein, the remote control transmitter transmits a remote control signal by operating the operating unit, and

wherein the reception part of the receiver receives the remote control signal, and controls the display part based on the received remote control signal.