Remote controller

• US 7,965,343 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Display Innovations Inc. (Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeshita, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US11/646,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 348/725, 340/825.69, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 340/539.1, 340/5.64, 725/37, 725/59
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

A remote controller allowing a user to change settings is provided. The remote controller includes a touch panel, a control circuit, a screen display memory, a setting data memory, a control data memory, an infrared transmission unit, and a battery. The control circuit includes a screen-display control circuit for displaying an image provided in advance for controlling the operation of a specific apparatus, a pressed-area detection circuit for detecting pressing in the display area of touch panel, an instructed-operation detection circuit for detecting the instruction of an operation, a display-data generation circuit for generating image data for displaying icons in the display area of touch panel, and a control-signal generation circuit for generating a signal for controlling the operation of the apparatus.

Claims

1. A remote controller comprising:

an operation unit displaying an image in a display area and accepting an operation on the image;

a first storage unit storing each identification data for identifying each of a plurality of apparatuses, each control data for executing each of a plurality of predefined operations for each of a plurality of the apparatuses, and each image data representing an image identifying each of the operations;

a first display control unit displaying a plurality of images in the display area on the basis of an operation on the operation unit and each of the image data;

a change unit changing the image displayed in the display area on the basis of the operation for the operation unit;

a second storage unit storing change data indicating the target of the change on the image having been changed;

a second display control unit displaying the image having been changed in the display area on the basis of the change data;

a generation unit generating a control signal for instructing execution of the operation corresponding to the image having received the operation on the basis of the operation on the image displayed in the display area and having been changed using the control data corresponding to the image having received the operation; and

a transmission unit transmitting the control signal.

2. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit includes a touch panel displaying an image in the display area, accepting the operation on the image, and outputting a signal corresponding to the operation.

3. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the change unit includes

a detection unit detecting a selection of an image displayed in the display area on the basis of the operation on the operation unit and

an acceptance unit accepting input of position data for determining a position in the display area of the selection detected image, and

the second storage unit stores the position data and image identification data indicating the selection of the image, and

the second display control unit displays the selected image in the display area on the basis of the position data and the image identification data.

4. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit includes an infrared transmission unit transmitting the control signal as an infrared signal.

5. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the change unit includes a size-change unit changing the size of a plurality of the images displayed in the display area on the basis of the operation on the operation unit.

6. The remote controller according to claim 5, wherein the operation unit accepts input of size-change data for changing the size of a plurality of the images, and

the size-change unit changes the size on the basis of the size-change data.

7. The remote controller according to claim 5, further comprising a history storage unit storing a history of the operation on the operation unit, wherein the size-change unit changes the size on the basis of the operation history.

8. The remote controller according to claim 7, wherein the size-change unit changes the size of an image having accepted a number of operations exceeding a preset number.

9. The remote controller according to claim 7, wherein the size-change unit calculates an order of a history of the operation on each of the images, and enlarges the size of an image having an order included in a preset order larger than the size of an image having an order not included in the preset order.

10. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the change unit includes a position-change unit changing the positions of a plurality of the images displayed in the display area on the basis of the operation on the operation unit.

11. The remote controller according to claim 10, wherein the operation unit accepts input of data for identifying a display position of each of a plurality of the images, and

the position-change unit changes the position of the image on the basis of the data for identifying the position.

12. The remote controller according to claim 10, further comprising a history storage unit storing a history of the operation on the operation unit,

wherein the position-change unit changes the position on the basis of the operation history.

13. The remote controller according to claim 12, wherein the position-change unit changes the position of an image having accepted a number of operations exceeding a preset number to an upper position than the position of an image having accepted a number of operations falling below the number.

14. The remote controller according to claim 12, wherein the position-change unit calculates an order of a history of the operation on each of the images, and changes a screen displaying an image having an order included in a preset order to a screen displaying an image having an order not included in the preset order.

15. The remote controller according to claim 14, wherein the position-change unit displays, in the display area, only an image having an order included in the preset order.

16. The remote controller according to claim 14, wherein the position-change unit further includes a prohibiting unit prohibiting the display of an image of the position having an order not included in the preset order.

17. A remote controller comprising:

an operation unit displaying an image in a display area and accepting an operation on the image;

a memory storing each identification data for identifying each of a plurality of apparatuses, each control data for executing a plurality of predefined operations for each of a plurality of the apparatuses, each image data representing an image identifying each of the operations, and an instruction sequence; and

a processor executing the instruction sequence,

wherein the instruction sequence includes

a first display control step of displaying a plurality of images in the display area on the basis of an operation on the operation unit and each of the image data,

a change step of changing the image displayed in the display area on the basis of the operation on the operation unit,

a step of generating change data indicating the target of the change on the image having the change,

a second display control step of displaying an image having the change in the display area,

a generation step of generating a control signal for instructing execution of the operation corresponding to the image having received the operation on the basis of the operation on the image having the change displayed in the display area using the control data corresponding to the image having received the operation; and

a step of instructing transmission of the control signal.

18. The remote controller according to claim 17, wherein the change step includes

a detection step of detecting a selection of an image displayed in the display area on the basis of the operation on the operation unit and

a step of accepting input of position data for determining a position in the display area of the selection detected image,

the step of generating the change data generates the position data and image identification data indicating selection of the image, and

the second display control step displays the selected image in the display area on the basis of the position data and the image identification data.

19. The remote controller according to claim 17, wherein the change step includes a step of changing the size of a plurality of the images displayed in the display area on the basis of the operation on the operation unit.

20. The remote controller according to claim 19,

wherein the operation unit accepts input of size-change data for changing the size of a plurality of the images, and

the size-change step changes the size on the basis of the size-change data.