Remote control devices, or “remote controls”, have long been standard accessories provided with many consumer electronic devices, such as televisions, television set-top boxes, and audio receivers, to allow users to control the electronic devices from beyond arm's length. Remote control devices have long employed acoustic, infrared, and/or radio frequency (RF) signals to communicate with and control the electronic device of interest, thus typically allowing the user to be located remotely from the electronic device, such as across the same room, or even in a different room, from the device while retaining control thereof.
Generally, the electronic device being controlled provides some sort of visual feedback while the user is operating the remote control to inform the user that the electronic device is receiving the desired user input. For example, a user inputting digits into the remote control for a desired television channel may result in those digits being depicted on the associated television display. Similar, a change in television audio volume may result in a bar graph or similar representation on the television display indicating the current volume level relative to some maximum value. Generally, such feedback is provided at the electronic device being controlled in response to the command being received and executed at that device. Also, the remote control device generally exhibits lettering and other markings or physical features indicating the function associated with each key. Such markings are often difficult to discern in some environments, however, such as a dark room.
Many aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily depicted to scale, as emphasis is instead placed upon clear illustration of the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also, while several embodiments are described in connection with these drawings, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
The enclosed drawings and the following description depict specific embodiments of the invention to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of the invention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations of these embodiments that fall within the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple embodiments of the invention. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described below, but only by the claims and their equivalents.
While the operations of
As a result of at least some embodiments of the method 200, a user of the remote control device 102 may uniquely determine the identity of an input of the remote control device 102 by activating that input. By generating a unique audible signal associated with the input, the user may identify an input of the remote control device 102 during times when a clear view of markings on the remote control device 102 identifying the inputs is not possible, such as when the user is located in a darkened room, or if the user otherwise encounters difficulty in reading the markings. Further, generation of a unique audible signal for each remote control device 102 input may be more effective over providing distinctive surface features, such as “bumps”, concave or convex surfaces, or other structural or physical differences for each input. Other advantages may be recognized from the various implementations of the invention discussed in greater detail below.
The mode keys 304 allow the remote control device 302A to operate with several different types of electronic devices. For example, each of the mode keys 304 may be associated with particular type of device, such as a set-top box, a television, an audio receiver, a DVD player, and so on. Thus, to place the remote control device 302A into an operational mode for a particular type of electronic device, the user merely presses the mode key 304 associated with that device. The user may then employ any of the remaining keys, such as the function keys 306 or the numeric keys 312, to control that device. To alter the operational mode of the remote control device 302A, the user may then merely depress another mode key 304, after which the user may utilize the various keys 306-312 of the remote control device 302A to control the device associated with that mode key 304.
The special function keys 306 of the remote control 302A allow the user to initiate specific functions or commands that may be executed by the electronic device being controlled. Examples of the function keys 306 may include, but are not limited to, a menu key, a last-channel key, channel-up and channel-down keys, volume-up and volume-down keys, fast-forward and reverse keys, a pause key, a play key, and an audio mute key. Some keys may perform different operations depending on the particular operational mode selected for the remote control 302A via the mode keys 304.
To access various graphical items and associated functions presented in an on-screen menu, the directional keys 308, such as up, down, left, and right keys, allow the user to navigate the menu. Typically, the directional keys 308 change a highlighted graphical element of the menu that may be subsequently activated via the selection key 310. Use of the selection key 310 thus initiates a function or command represented by the selected graphical element.
The numeric keys 312 facilitate direct user entry of numbers, such as programming channel numbers, thus facilitating quick access to a desired channel. Other uses for direct entry of numbers (or, more generally, alphanumeric characters) via the numeric keys 312 may be employed in other implementations.
With respect to each of the remote control devices 302A, 302B (collectively, 302), a unique audible signal is generated for each of the keys 304-312 and touchpad 314 so that the user may identify the particular key, touchpad, or other input device being activated by the user. Other inputs or input components, such as joysticks, levers, switches, and the like, may be identified in such a manner in other remote control devices. Other possible types of input components that a user may activate include a free-space position-sensing system, such as a gyroscope or accelerometer, or similar device allowing the user's movement of the remote control device to be interpreted as user input.
Each of the user input components 402 is associated with at least one command for an electronic device to be controlled by the remote control device 400. Examples of the user input components 402 include, but are not limited to, the various keys 304-312 of the remote control device 302A of
The transmitter 404 is configured to transmit commands 410 to the corresponding electronic device to be controlled. The transmitter 404 may be an infrared (IR) signal transmitter, a radio frequency (RF) signal transmitter, an acoustic signal transmitter, or any other transmitter capable of transmitting commands 410 in a wired or wireless fashion to the electronic device.
The audio generation circuit 406 of the remote control 400 is configured to generate audible signals 412 for a user. For example, the audio generation circuit 406 may include a speaker, possibly driven with amplification circuitry. In one embodiment, the audio generation circuit 406 may further include means for generating the audible waveform, such as a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) circuit or component. Other components or devices capable of facilitating the generation of the audible signal 412 for user notification may be incorporated in the audio generation circuitry 406.
The control circuitry 408 is coupled with the user input components 402, the transmitter 404, and the audio generation circuitry 406. The control circuitry 408 may include one or more processors, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, or digital signal processor (DSP), configured to execute instructions directing the processor to perform the functions discussed more fully below. The control circuitry 408 may also include memory or data storage adapted to contain such instructions. In another implementation, the control circuitry 408 may be strictly hardware-based logic, or may include a combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software elements.
In operation, the control circuitry 408 is configured to detect activation of one of the user input components 402. Generally, activation of a user input component 402 is initiated by a user depressing a key 304-312, contacting a touchpad 314, or otherwise engaging one of the user input components. As is discussed in greater detail below, based on one or more characteristics of the activation of the input component 402, the control circuitry 408 may determine an audible signal 412 that is associated with the activated input component 402 and transfer the audible signal 412 to the audio generation circuitry 406 for presentation to the user, to generate a command 410 based on the activated component 402 and transfer the command 410 to the transmitter 404 for transmission to the target electronic device, or some combination thereof. In one example, the control circuitry 408 may determine the length of time a user continuously depresses a key 304-312 or contacts the touchpad 314, which the control circuitry 108 employs to determine the appropriate response.
In contrast to
Thus, in the implementation of
The audible signal 412 associated with each of the input components 402 may take any of a number of forms to allow a user to discern one input component 402, such as a key or button, from another. For example, each audible signal 412 may be a single frequency or tone of limited duration, wherein each signal 412 is distinguished from another by its frequency. In other cases, each audible signal 412 may include multiple frequencies, wherein the particular mix of frequencies is different for each of the input components 402. In yet other implementations, the length in time of each audible signal 412, the volume of the audible signal 412, or the number of separate audible bursts or pulses of the signal 412, may be serve as distinguishing characteristics. Further, any two or more of these factors may be combined to further distinguish one audible signal over another. Other ways of distinguishing the signals 412, such as varying the frequency or tone provided by a signal, providing a series of different tones, and other distinguishing factors, may be employed in other implementations.
In some implementations, the scheme of
The assignment of various audible signals 412 to corresponding input components 402 may be determined in more than one way. For one, each audible signal 412 may be statically associated with a specific input component 402 in the control circuitry 408. In one particular implementation, the audible signals 412 may be logically related to the input components 402 in some fashion. For example, the components 402 toward the lower physical end of the remote control device 400, such as the numeric keys 312, may be associated with audible signals 412 of lower relative audio frequencies, while those at the opposite end, such as the mode keys 304, may be exhibited by signals 412 of higher frequencies. Similarly, components 402 toward the left end of the remote control 400 may be associated with audible signals 412 of relatively lower volume, while those at the right end correspond with higher-volume signals 412. Other ways of associating some characteristic of the audible signals 412, such as the length of the tones, or the number of tone bursts produced, with the physical location of the input components 402 on the remote control 400 may be undertaken in further implementations.
In yet another embodiment, the audible signals 412 may be associated with the input components 402 in such a manner that adjacent components 402 would be associated with audible signals 412 exhibiting significantly different audio characteristics, such as frequency, volume, length in time, and other factors. Such an embodiment may aid the user in distinguishing input components 402 located closely to each other.
Aside from allowing the remote control 400 to statically associate each input component 402 with a specific audible signal 412, the remote control 400 may allow a user to associate each possible audible signal 412 with the component 402 of the user's choice. To this end, the remote control 400 may allow the use to press one or more components 402, or a sequence thereof, to place the remote control 400 in a programming mode in which the user may select a preexisting audible signal 412 for each of the components 402. The user may then exit the programming mode by employing another activation of one or more components 402, or by way of a timeout period tracked by the remote control device 400. In addition, the remote control device 400 may be placed into two separate operating configurations: one in which the audible signals 412 are enabled, and another in which the audible signals 412 are disabled while the user is employing the remote control 400 to control an electronic device.
In some arrangements, one or more of the components may be associated with more than one audible signal 412. For example, for those input components 402 that are associated with a different function or command based on the operational mode of the remote control 400, as determined by the mode keys 304, different audible signals 412 may be associated with the same component 402 depending on the operational mode. For example, a particular function key 306 may be associated with one audible signal 412 when the remote control device 400 is operating in the television mode, while that same key 306 may correspond with a different audible signal 412 during a set-top box mode.
With respect to the touchpad 314 of
In a particular arrangement of the remote control device 400, the audio generation circuitry 406 may incorporate special-purpose hardware, such as a pulse width modulator (PWM) circuit, to facilitate the generation of frequencies or tones that constitute each audible signal 412. Such circuitry may then reduce the amount of processing power required of the control circuitry 408. In another example, such circuitry may be incorporated within a processor or related functional block of the control circuitry 408. In any of these scenarios, the control circuitry 408 may store data, such as frequencies to be used, lengths of time during which the signal 412 is to be presented, and related data for each audible signal 412, in data storage (not explicitly shown in
In other arrangements, the remote control 400 may store a file for each of the audible signals 412, such as Waveform audio format (WAV) files. These files may be stored permanently in the remote control 400 by the manufacturer of the remote control 400, or may be added to the remote control 400 by the user by way of an audio input, such as a microphone, audio cable or the like (not depicted in
Aside from tones exhibiting varying frequencies, volumes, time lengths, and the like, another example of audible signals 412 used for identifying each input component 402 would be speech sounds. More specifically, each component 402 may be identified by an audible signal 412 that verbally announces the command or function associated with that component 402. For example, activation of the numeric key 312 for the number four may result in the spoken word “four” to be produced at the audio generation circuitry 606. Similarly, activation of one of the directional keys 308 may result in the generation of speech indicating the corresponding direction, such as “up” or “down”. In one particular embodiment, the audio generation circuitry 606 may employ text-to-speech (TTS) software or hardware to facilitate generation of the audible signals 412.
While the embodiments discussed in conjunction with
As shown in
The remote control interface 602 is configured to receive commands 610 from a remote control device, such as the remote control device 400 of
The control circuitry 608 is configured to receive the command 610 for the electronic device from the remote control device via the remote control interface 602 and execute the command 610. The control circuitry 608 is also configured to determine an audio signal associated with the received command 610 and transfer the audio signal, which is to be presented to the user ultimately. As with the control circuitry 408 of
Without the presence of the audio generation circuitry 606, the control circuitry 608 may transfer the audio signal 612 to another device coupled with the electronic device 600, which may in turn present the audio signal 612 in audible form to the user. For example, if the electronic device 600 is a television set-top box, the control circuitry 608 may transfer the audio signal 612 to a television or audio receiver, which may then convert the audio signal 612 into an audible signal by way of attached speakers for a user to hear. The transfer of the audio signal 612 from the electronic device 600 may occur by way of a number of audio signal connections, including, but not limited to, a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection, and a monaural or stereo analog audio connection. On the other hand, the electronic device 600, such as a television, may have one or more speakers, amplifiers, and associated circuitry constituting the audio generation circuitry 606. In that case, the control circuitry 608 transfers the audio signal 612 to the audio generation circuitry 606, which generates the audible form of the audio signal 612 for presentation to the user.
Similar to the remote control device 400 of
The various types of audio signals 612 possible, their relationship to the various commands 610 received, and other variations described above in conjunction with the remote control device 400 may be applied to the embodiments involving the electronic device 600 is various implementations. In such cases, these tasks may be controlled by way of the control circuitry 608 of the electronic device 600 instead of the control circuitry of the remote control providing the commands 610. One possible advantage of such an arrangement is that a typical electronic device 600 may more readily possess the necessary processing power and other resources, such as memory (not depicted explicitly in
At least some embodiments as described herein thus allow a user to identify various remote control input components, such as keys, buttons, switches, joysticks, touchpads, and the like, by way of sound, with or without actually invoking the commands associated without those components. This functionality, which may reside primarily in the remote control device or the electronic device being controlled thereby, addresses situations in which the user may not readily discern the remote control device components or associated functions by sight, such as in darkly lit rooms, or where markings on the remote control denoting the various components or functions are no longer viable.
While several embodiments of the invention have been discussed herein, other implementations encompassed by the scope of the invention are possible. For example, while various embodiments have been described within the context of a television set-top box and other entertainment electronics components, the design of other types of electronic systems and their associated remote control devices may be enhanced according the various inventive aspects described herein to similar benefit. In addition, aspects of one embodiment disclosed herein may be combined with those of alternative embodiments to create further implementations of the present invention. Thus, while the present invention has been described in the context of specific embodiments, such descriptions are provided for illustration and not limitation. Accordingly, the proper scope of the present invention is delimited only by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12638247 | Dec 2009 | US |
Child | 14153938 | US |