JP4654786B2 - Remote control terminal - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote operation terminal that controls a terminal device.

  In general, a remote control terminal using optical communication using an internal power source such as a battery has a reduced communicable range with a terminal device as the internal power source decreases. Therefore, when the remote control terminal and the control terminal are fixed, the remote control terminal may be operable but cannot communicate.

In view of this, conventionally, there has been known a method in which a voltage supplied to an optical device of a remote control terminal is varied to output an arbitrary light intensity (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-6-338858

  However, in the conventional configuration, there are a plurality of voltage sources supplied in the remote operation terminal, and a generation circuit is required for each of the plurality of voltage sources. In addition, a circuit configuration is required to generate an arbitrary voltage based on the reference voltage, and the current consumed other than the signal output cannot be ignored. The current supplied to the signal output is not limited by the internal power supply. However, there is a limit determined from the circuit configuration.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote operation terminal that can reproduce a state equivalent to that when the internal power supply of the remote operation terminal is reduced with a simpler configuration.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the remote operation terminal of the present invention varies the current flowing by varying the capacity of the internal power supply supplied to the output unit when confirming communication with the terminal device. The distance is variable.

  As a result, the output from the remote operation terminal can be varied, and the communication state equivalent to that when the internal power source of the remote operation terminal is reduced can be reproduced to confirm the communication.

  The remote control terminal of the present invention can perform communication confirmation by reproducing a communication distance equivalent to that when the internal power supply is reduced.

  1st invention changes the capacity | capacitance of the signal generator which produces the signal for controlling a terminal device, the output part which outputs the signal produced by this signal generator, and the internal power supply supplied to this output part By using a remote operation terminal including a power adjustment unit capable of performing communication, it is possible to change the output from the remote operation terminal and reproduce the same communication distance as when the internal power supply or the like is reduced, thereby performing communication confirmation.

In particular, the second invention includes a detection unit that detects that the terminal device has received a signal from the output unit in the first invention, and the detection unit can receive a signal from the output unit. When this is detected, the power supply adjustment unit has a function of changing the power supply capacity supplied to the output unit, so that the current supplied to the output unit can be changed according to the communication state.

  According to a third invention, in particular, in the second invention, the power supply capacity supplied to the output unit by the power supply adjustment unit is varied, and the detection unit communicates with the terminal device based on the minimum power supply capacity that the terminal device can receive. By providing the information calculation unit for calculating information, it is possible to convert from the minimum power supply capacity to other communication information.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the third aspect of the invention, the information calculation unit converts the minimum power supply capacity to the maximum communicable distance with the terminal device, so that the power supply state is the minimum condition under any arbitrary installation situation. It can be converted into the communication distance when it becomes.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the third aspect of the invention, the information calculation unit converts the minimum power supply capacity into the limit voltage of the internal power supply that enables communication with the terminal device, so that under certain arbitrary installation conditions. The limit voltage at which the terminal device and the remote operation terminal can communicate can be calculated.

  In a sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the third aspect of the invention, the information calculation unit converts the minimum power supply capacity into the replacement time of the internal power supply that cannot communicate with the terminal device, thereby providing a certain arbitrary installation situation. Before the internal power supply drops and communication becomes impossible, it is possible to obtain information regarding the replacement time of the internal power supply and the like.

  In the seventh invention, in particular, in the second or fifth invention, when the voltage of the internal power supply coincides with a limit voltage capable of communication with the terminal device or when the voltage reaches a predetermined value with respect to the limit voltage. By providing a notifying unit for notifying this, it is possible to notify the information of the internal power supply before communication becomes impossible in any installation state.

  In the eighth invention, in particular, in any one of the fourth to seventh inventions, the display unit for displaying the communication information is provided, so that the maximum between the terminal device and the remote control terminal can be obtained under a certain arbitrary installation. The communicable distance, the communicable limit voltage, the replacement time of the internal power supply, and the like can be displayed.

  The ninth aspect of the invention is the remote control terminal and the terminal device under any arbitrary installation, particularly in any one of the fourth to eighth aspects of the invention, by including a transmitter for transmitting communication information to the central control terminal. The maximum communicable distance, the communicable limit voltage, the exchange time of the internal power supply, and the like can be transmitted to the remote central operation terminal, and the information can be displayed and notified.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a remote operation system including a remote operation terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the terminal device 1 is controlled in response to a control signal from a remote operation terminal 2 that is separated by a distance d. Here, the remote control terminal 2 refers to a communication remote controller that uses light of a specific wavelength. The terminal device refers to a lighting fixture, a lighting switch, an air conditioning / ventilating device, a hot water supply system, a hot water toilet seat, an audio device, a television, an image recording device, a security device, and the like, each having a receiving unit.

FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the remote operation terminal 2. The inside of the remote operation terminal 2 includes a signal generation unit 3 that generates a control signal or a test signal for the terminal device 1, an output unit 4 that outputs a signal to the terminal device 1, and that the terminal device 1 has received a signal from the output unit 4 And a selector switch 6 for switching to a test mode used when the remote operation terminal 2 is installed. The signal generator 3, the output unit 4, and the detector 5 are supplied with power from an internal power source 7 such as a battery. In addition, an electric power supply adjustment unit 8 is connected to the internal power supply 7 so that the current that can be supplied to the output unit 4 can be varied.

  The power supply adjustment unit 8 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The power supply adjustment unit 8 includes a plurality of capacitance adjustment elements 9a to 9d and capacitance adjustment switches 10a to 10d for setting whether or not each capacitance adjustment element is connected to an internal power supply.

  For example, if the capacitance adjusting elements 9a to 9d are all the same element, the voltage of the internal power supply 7 can be increased by changing the number of capacitance adjusting elements connected to the internal power supply 7 by the setting method of the capacitance adjusting switches 10a to 10d. Accordingly, the charge accumulation amount can be varied. Therefore, when the control signal of the terminal device 1 generated by the signal generation unit 3 or the test signal is output by the output unit 4, the number of connections of the capacity adjustment elements 9a to 9d in the power supply adjustment unit 8 is increased. The voltage fluctuation applied to the output unit 4 can be reduced. Therefore, the current passed through the output unit 4 can be increased, and the communication distance between the terminal device 1 and the remote operation terminal 2 can be changed.

  The operation and action of the remote operation terminal 2 configured as described above will be described below.

  When the terminal device 1 and the remote operation terminal 2 are installed, it is necessary to confirm communication. Therefore, the remote control terminal 2 is switched to the test mode by the changeover switch 6. When switched to the test mode, the signal generator 3 generates a test signal and outputs a signal from the output unit 4 to confirm communication.

  Next, the detection unit 5 detects that the terminal device 1 has received the test signal transmitted from the output unit 4. The detection unit 5 may be a button type that is input by a person and may be input if it can be confirmed that the terminal device 1 has been received. As shown in FIG. 4, when the test signal transmitted from the remote operation terminal 2 by the terminal device 1 can be received, a confirmation signal is transmitted from the terminal device 1 to confirm that the test signal has been received. It may be detected and confirmed by the receiving unit 11.

  When the detection unit 5 can confirm between the terminal device 1 and the remote control terminal 2, the power supply adjustment unit 8 is the last time the test signal is emitted from the signal generation unit 3 and the output unit 4. The capacity adjustment switches 10a to 10d are adjusted in order to reduce the number of capacity adjustment elements 9a to 9d connected to the internal power supply 7 so that the power supply capacity is reduced. Then, the detection unit 5 finds the conditions of the smallest capacity adjustment elements 9a to 9d that can be detected by the terminal device 1.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a follow chart for finding the minimum power capacity with which the remote control terminal 2 can communicate.

The change-over switch 6 is switched to enter the test mode from the normal communication state (step 1). Next, in the initial state, the power adjustment unit 8 performs adjustment so as to maximize the power capacity (step 2). Next, the signal generator 3 generates a test signal and the output unit 4 outputs the test signal (step 3). Whether or not the test signal output in step 3 has been received by the terminal device 1 is confirmed by the detection unit 5 (step 4). If it can be confirmed, the process proceeds to step 5, and if it cannot be confirmed, the process proceeds to step 6. In step 5, the power supply capacity is reduced by a certain percentage from the state in step 4 by adjustment of the power supply adjustment unit 8, and the process proceeds to step 3. On the other hand, in step 6, the number of test signals transmitted up to step 4 is counted. If the number of times of transmission is one, the process proceeds to step 9; if it is twice or more, the process proceeds to step 7. Finally, information on the minimum power capacity is determined from the set status of the set power adjustment unit 8 (step 7), and the test mode is terminated (step 8).

  If the number of times that the test signal is transmitted in step 6 is one, the terminal device 1 has never received the test signal output from the remote operation terminal 2, so that the terminal device 1 and the remote operation are performed remotely. An error code or the like for confirming the installation state of the terminal 2 is notified (step 9).

  In this way, it is possible to find the minimum power capacity at which the terminal device 1 and the remote control terminal 2 can communicate.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily adjust the communication output of the remote control terminal and perform communication confirmation.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 shows the internal configuration of the remote control terminal according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The difference from the first embodiment is that the limit voltage of the internal power supply 7 based on the information obtained from the detection unit 5, the replacement time of the internal power supply 7, the maximum communicable distance between the remote control terminal 2 and the terminal device 1, etc. The information calculation unit 12 for converting the information into the information, the power supply monitoring unit 13 for monitoring the state of the internal power supply 7 such as a battery, the information converted by the information calculation unit 12 and the state of the internal power supply 7 monitored by the power supply monitoring unit 13 are displayed. The display unit 14 is provided.

  As a method for converting the information obtained from the detection unit 5, for example, conversion is performed using the conversion function shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the maximum communicable distance d_max is obtained from the function g (C_max) using the minimum power source capacity C_min obtained from the detection unit 5.

  Further, the limit voltage of the internal power supply 7, the replacement time of the internal power supply 7, and the maximum communicable distance can be obtained from the minimum power supply capacity using a correspondence table.

  About the remote control terminal 2 comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  Note that the process of obtaining the minimum power supply capacity has already been described in the first embodiment, and therefore will be omitted, and the subsequent operation and action will be described in detail.

  After obtaining the minimum power source capacity that allows communication between the terminal device 1 and the remote operation terminal 2, the limit voltage that can be communicated between the terminal device 1 and the remote operation terminal 2 obtained from the information calculation unit 12 is obtained. Then, when it is detected that the internal power supply 7 such as a battery has approached a voltage equal to or predetermined with respect to the limit voltage obtained before the power supply monitoring unit 13 during normal use of the terminal device 1 and the remote control terminal 2 The display unit 14 displays the replacement time of the internal power supply 7 or the fact that the limit voltage is approaching (predetermined value). In addition, when the voltage of the internal power supply 7 coincides with a limit voltage that enables communication with the terminal device 1 or when the voltage reaches a predetermined value with respect to the limit voltage, an informing unit (notification unit) that informs this by voice, sound, etc. (Not shown). The display unit 14 and the notification unit can be used as a single unit.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the communication distance is changed between the terminal device 1 and the remote operation terminal 2 at the time of installation to confirm communication, and the internal power supply 7 such as a battery of the remote operation terminal 2 is lowered. Then, it becomes possible to display and notify in advance that communication cannot be performed.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 8 shows a remote control system including a remote control terminal according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the remote operation terminal 2 is wirelessly connected to the central operation terminal 15. Central operation terminal 15 is connected to external network 16 via a telephone line or the like. The remote operation terminal 2 confirms communication of the test signal output from the output unit 4 by the method of the first and second embodiments by changing the power supply adjustment unit 8 and obtains information such as a limit voltage by the information calculation unit 12. Note that there are a plurality of terminal devices 1 and a plurality of remote operation terminals 2 for operating the terminal devices 1.

  When the power supply monitoring unit 13 approaches the limit voltage value during normal use, a transmission unit (not shown) different from the output unit 4 is used, for example, a transmission unit for a wireless network such as a specific low-power radio or a wireless LAN, Information indicating that the internal power supply 7 such as a battery of the remote operation terminal 2 is lowered is transmitted to the central operation terminal 15. In addition, the central operation terminal 15 notifies the management center, a specific telephone number, or an e-mail address of the information that the internal power supply 7 of the remote operation terminal 2 is lowered through the external network 16 through a telephone line or the like. The information may be a maximum communicable distance between the terminal device 1 and the remote control terminal 2 and a limit voltage for communicable other than the time for replacing the internal power supply.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to transmit various information under a certain arbitrary installation to a remote central operation terminal, and to display and notify the information.

  As described above, the remote operation terminal according to the present invention can reproduce the communication distance equivalent to that when the internal power supply or the like is reduced and can confirm the communication, and thus can be applied to various remote operation systems.

FIG. 1 is a remote operation system diagram including a remote operation terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Block diagram showing the internal configuration of the remote control terminal Configuration diagram of the power adjustment unit of the remote control terminal Block diagram showing an example of the detection unit of the remote control terminal Follow chart to determine the minimum communicable power capacity of the remote control terminal The block diagram which shows the internal structure of the remote control terminal in Embodiment 2 of this invention Function graph for determining the maximum communicable distance from the minimum power capacity of the remote control terminal Remote operation system diagram including a remote operation terminal according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal device 2 Remote operation terminal 3 Signal generation part 4 Output part 5 Detection part 6 Changeover switch 7 Internal power supply 8 Power supply adjustment part 12 Information calculation part 13 Power supply monitoring part 14 Display part 15 Central operation terminal 16 External network

Claims (1)

A signal generator for generating a signal for controlling the terminal device;
An output unit for outputting a signal generated by the signal generation unit;
A detection unit that detects that the terminal device has received a signal from the output unit;
A power adjustment unit that varies the power capacity supplied to the output unit when the detection unit detects that the signal has been received;
Based on the minimum power capacity required for signal output obtained by varying the power supply adjustment unit, the limit voltage of the internal power supply that enables communication with the terminal device and the maximum communicable distance between the terminal device and An information calculation unit for calculating,
An informing unit for informing that the voltage of the internal power supply matches a limit voltage that allows communication with the terminal device, or that the voltage has reached a predetermined value with respect to the limit voltage;
A remote control terminal comprising: a display unit that displays a maximum communicable distance with the terminal device at the voltage of the internal power supply when the notification unit performs notification.

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