Remote operation system and remote controller

• US 9,349,283 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Kouichi, Yoshida, Junji, Sato, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US14/862,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 244 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/71 Directional beams

Abstract

In one aspect, when a user directs a remote controller (13) toward a television set (11), causing the remote controller (13) and the television set (11) to enter the wireless communication region of each other, the remote controller (13) and the television set (11) establish a wireless link to each other. When the user directs the remote controller (13) toward an air conditioner (12), causing the remote controller (13) and the air conditioner (12) to enter the wireless communication region of each other, the remote controller (13) and the air conditioner (12) establish a wireless link to each other. The remote controller (13) and the television set (11) are out of the wireless communication region of each other at this point, and the wireless link between the two is thus disconnected.

Claims

1. A remote operation system for remotely operating an appliance to be controlled by a controller through use of wireless communication capable of interactive communication and having directivity,

the controller comprising:

a plurality of directional antennas which are directional in directions different from one another;

an antenna switching section for switching among the plurality of directional antennas to be used; and

a lock section for selecting between a locked state and an unlocked state of the controller,

wherein the remote operation system executes the following operations;

(c-i) when the controller is in the unlocked state, the antenna switching section selects a specific directional antenna from among the plurality of directional antennas;

(c-ii) when the controller is changed in direction in a manner that causes the appliance to be controlled to enter a region of wireless communication which uses the specific directional antenna, the lock section switches the controller from the unlocked state to the locked state, and the controller and the appliance to be controlled establish a wireless link to each other;

(c-iii) during the locked state, the antenna switching section sequentially switches among the plurality of directional antennas to be used, as the appliance to be controlled to and from which the wireless link has been established exits a wireless communication region of one directional antenna and enters a wireless communication region of another directional antenna;

(c-iv) the appliance to be controlled transmits, by the wireless communication, to the controller, data for remotely operating the appliance to be controlled by the controller;

(c-v) based on the data received from the appliance to be controlled, the controller sets a user interface for remotely operating the appliance to be controlled; and

(c-vi) when switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, the controller disconnects the established wireless link.

2. The remote operation system according to claim 1, wherein, when the controller is operated by a user, the remote operation system executes the following operations:

(d-i) the controller transmits, by the wireless communication, to the appliance to be controlled, a command that indicates an instruction input by the user; and

(d-ii) the appliance to be controlled executes an operation based on the received command.

3. The remote operation system according to claim 1, wherein, when the controller is changed in direction in a manner that causes the appliance to be controlled to exit regions of wireless communication to and from all of the plurality of directional antennas, the wireless link is disconnected automatically.

4. The remote operation system according to claim 1, wherein, during the unlocked state, when the controller is changed in direction in a manner that causes another appliance to be controlled, which is different from the appliance to be controlled from which the wireless link has been disconnected, to enter the region of wireless communication which uses the specific directional antenna, the operations (c-ii) to (c-vi) are executed between the controller and the another appliance to be controlled.

5. The remote operation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a display section, and

wherein, based on the data received from the appliance to be controlled, the controller builds a user interface screen on the display section.

6. The remote operation system according to claim 5, wherein the data comprises application software for operating the appliance to be controlled, and

wherein the controller builds the user interface screen on the display section by executing the application software for operating the appliance to be controlled.

7. The remote operation system according to claim 5,

wherein the controller includes, in advance, a piece of user interface screen information in association with each type of appliance to be controlled,

wherein the data comprises identification information for discriminating one appliance to be controlled from another appliance to be controlled, and

wherein the controller builds on the display section the user interface screen associated with the appliance to be controlled that has been identified from the identification information.

8. The remote operation system according to claim 1, comprising a directional antenna that is capable of changing an electric wave transmission direction, instead of the plurality of directional antennas and the antenna switching section,

wherein, when the controller is in the unlocked state, the electric wave transmission direction of the directional antenna is fixed, and

wherein, when the controller is in the locked state, the directional antenna changes the electric wave transmission direction as needed in a manner that causes the appliance to be controlled to and from which the wireless link has been established to enter a wireless communication region.

9. A controller for remotely operating an appliance to be controlled by a controller through use of wireless communication capable of interactive communication and having directivity, the controller comprising:

a plurality of directional antennas which are directional in directions different from one another;

an antenna switching section for switching among the plurality of directional antennas to be used; and

a lock section for selecting between a locked state and an unlocked state of the controller,

wherein the controller is configured to execute the following operations of;

(c-i) selecting, by the antenna switching section, when the controller is in the unlocked state, a specific directional antenna from among the plurality of directional antennas;

(c-ii) switching, by the lock section, when the controller is changed in direction in a manner that causes the appliance to be controlled to enter a region of wireless communication which uses the specific directional antenna, the controller from the unlocked state to the locked state, and establishing a wireless link between the controller and the appliance to be controlled;

(c-iii) sequentially switching, by the antenna switching section, during the locked state, among the plurality of directional antennas to be used, as the appliance to be controlled to and from which the wireless link has been established exits a wireless communication region of one directional antenna and enters a wireless communication region of another directional antenna;

(c-iv) receiving, by the wireless communication, from the appliance to be controlled, data for remotely operating the appliance to be controlled;

(c-v) setting, based on the data received from the appliance to be controlled, a user interface for remotely operating the appliance to be controlled; and

(c-vi) disconnecting, by the controller, the established wireless link when the controller is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a controller to execute remote operation with respect to an appliance to be controlled, which uses wireless communication capable of interactive communication and having directivity,

the controller comprising a plurality of directional antennas which are directional in directions different from one another,

the program controlling the controller to execute the steps of:

(c-i) when the controller is in an unlocked state, selecting a specific directional antenna from among the plurality of directional antennas;

(c-ii) when the controller is changed in direction in a manner that causes the appliance to be controlled to enter a region of wireless communication which uses the specific directional antenna, switching the controller from the unlocked state to a locked state, and establishing a wireless link between the controller and the appliance to be controlled;

(c-iii) during the locked state, sequentially switching among the plurality of directional antennas to be used, as the appliance to be controlled to and from which the wireless link has been established exits a wireless communication region of one directional antenna and enters a wireless communication region of another directional antenna;

(c-iv) receiving, by the wireless communication, from the appliance to be controlled, data for remotely operating the appliance to be controlled;

(c-v) based on the data received from the appliance to be controlled, setting a user interface for remotely operating the appliance to be controlled; and

(c-vi) when the controller is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, disconnecting the established wireless link.