Remote control, remote control system, and remote control method

• US 9,972,197 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2012
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohashi, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afrifa-Kyei, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US13/592,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20130057395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 340 125
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

Provided is a remote control, including: a wireless communication unit configured to be capable of sending a control signal for controlling a device by means of wireless communication; and a determining unit configured to transmit a device detection request by means of the wireless communication unit, and to identify installation locations of a plurality of devices as one or more zones, respectively, based on responses from the plurality of devices having received the device detection request, each of the responses including measurement information reflecting an installation location.

Claims

1. A remote control, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

send a control signal for controlling a device via wireless communication; and

transmit a device detection request to the device via wireless communication;

receive a response from the device based on the transmitted device detection request, the response received from the device including measurement information associated with the device;

identify an installation location of the device as a zone in an event that a difference between a value of the measurement information included in the response received from the device and an average value of measurement information of one or more devices in the zone is equal to or below a reference value;

register a device identifier corresponding to the device in association with an identifier of the zone in a zone correlation table;

transmit a request for device information to the device;

receive a response from the device including at least a device type identifier;

determine a command set identifier corresponding to one of a plurality of command sets based on the device type identifier; and

register the device identifier of the device in association with the command set identifier in a command set identification table.

2. The remote control according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive the response including radio-field-intensity information, the radio-field-intensity information being detected by the device having received the device detection request; and

identify the installation location of the device as the zone based on the radio-field-intensity information of the device.

3. The remote control according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to identify the installation location of the device as the zone based on a distribution of a plurality of radio-field-intensity values, the plurality of radio-field-intensity values being replied from the device.

4. The remote control according to claim 3, further comprising:

a display including a display screen,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to;

allow a user to select an arbitrary zone from one or more zones; and

display an operation graphical user interface (GUI) of each of the one or more devices on the display screen, the installation location of each of the one or more devices being identified as the selected zone.

5. The remote control according to claim 4, wherein each of the one or more zones is a room in a building.

6. The remote control according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive the response including global positioning system (GPS) information, the GPS information being detected by the device having received the device detection request; and

identify the installation location of the device as the zone, based on the GPS information of the device.

7. The remote control according to claim 6, wherein the circuitry is further configured to identify the installation location of the device as the zone based on distribution of a plurality of pieces of GPS information, the plurality of pieces of GPS information being replied from the device.

8. The remote control according to claim 7, further comprising:

a display including a display screen,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to;

allow a user to select an arbitrary zone from one or more zones; and

display an operation graphical user interface (GUI) of each of the one or more devices on the display screen, the installation location of each of the one or more devices being identified as the selected zone.

9. The remote control according to claim 8, wherein each of the one or more zones is a room in a building.

12. The remote control according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

identify location information of the device as a first zone of one or more zones in a case that the comparison result is equal to or below the reference value; and

identify location information of the device as a second zone of the one or more zones in a case that the comparison result is above the reference value.

10. A remote control method, comprising:

transmitting, with circuitry of a remote control, a device detection request to a device via wireless communication, the circuitry further sending a control signal for controlling the device via wireless communication;

receiving, with the circuitry of the remote control, a response from the device based on the transmitted device detection request, the response received from the device including measurement information associated with the device;

identifying, with the circuitry of the remote control, an installation location of the device as a zone in an event that a difference between a value of the measurement information included in the response received from the device and an average value of measurement information of one or more devices in the zone is equal to or below a reference value;

registering, with the circuitry, a device identifier corresponding to the device in association with an identifier of the zone in a zone correlation table;

transmitting, with the circuitry, a request for device information to the device;

receiving, with the circuitry, a response from the device including at least a device type identifier;

determining, with the circuitry, a command set identifier corresponding to one of a plurality of command sets based on the device type identifier; and

registering, with the circuitry, the device identifier of the device in association with the command set identifier in a command set identification table.

11. A remote control system, comprising:

a remote control; and

a device configured to be controlled by the remote control, wherein the device includes circuitry configured to;

receive a control signal from the remote control via wireless communication, and

measure measurement information reflecting an installation location, and

the remote control includes circuitry configured to;

send the control signal for controlling the device via wireless communication,

transmit a device detection request to the device by wireless communication,

receive a response from the device based on the transmitted device detection request, the response received from the device including measurement information associated with the device,

identify an installation location of the device as a zone, in an event that a different between a value of the measurement information included in the response received from the device and an average value of measurement information of one or more devices in the zone is equal to or below a reference value,

register a device identifier corresponding to the device in association with an identifier of the zone in a zone correlation table,

transmit a request for device information to the device,

receive a response from the device including at least a device type identifier,

determine a command set identifier corresponding to one of a plurality of command sets based on the device type identifier, and

register the device identifier of the device in association with the command set identifier in a command set identification table.