JPH0724402B2 - Electronic device control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control system for centrally controlling a plurality of electronic devices such as audio devices and visual devices.

[Outline of Invention]

In this invention, the main controller, the sub controller connected to the main controller via the main bus, and the electronic device connected to the sub controller via the local bus are provided. The main controller converts the input command into a first control signal, transmits the first control signal to the sub controller via the main bus, and further receives a reception confirmation signal from the sub controller. To receive. When receiving the first control signal, the sub controller sends a reception confirmation signal to the main controller, converts the first control signal into a second control signal compatible with the electronic device, and outputs the second control signal.
The control signal is transmitted to the electronic device via the local bus. The first control signal transmitted from the main controller to the sub controller can be a high-speed signal, and the electronic device is remotely controlled by the second control signal corresponding to the electronic device, and it is necessary to change the existing electronic device. There is no.

[Conventional technology]

Audio equipment such as CD players, analog players, and tape decks can usually be operated by a wireless remote control or a wire remote control using infrared rays as a medium. The same applies to visual devices such as VTRs, laser discs, and television tuners. When using a plurality of these audio equipments and visual equipments (generally referred to as AV equipments), it is cumbersome to remotely control each equipment, and it is desirable to be able to perform intensive control. An example of the control system is disclosed in the publication.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

When centrally controlling multiple AV devices with a single controller, the control signal transmission line (bus) can be used for AV line switching, status management, display, etc. in addition to the original remote control signal. Since the control signal is placed, the bus will overflow unless high-speed transfer is performed. On the other hand, conventional AV equipment
Only a low-speed control signal can be used. If the AV device is modified, it is possible to handle a high bundle of remote control signals, but this causes an increase in cost and there is a problem that the existing AV device cannot be controlled.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control system for electronic equipment, which enables high-speed control and does not require modification of existing AV equipment.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, the main controller 1 and the sub-controllers 2A, 2B connected to the main controller 1 via the main bus 3
, And electronic devices 5, 6, ... 10 connected to the sub-controllers 2A and 2B via local buses 4A to 4F, the main controller 1 decodes the command from the command input means 12, and the sub-controllers It is configured to transmit a first control signal corresponding to a command to 2A, 2B via the main bus 3 and receive a reception confirmation signal from the sub-controllers 2A, 2B. , Sends a reception confirmation signal to the main controller 1 when receiving the first control signal, and converts the first control signal into a second control signal corresponding to the electronic device 5, 6, ... Then, the second control signal is transmitted to the electronic devices 5, 6, ... 10 via the local buses 4A to 4F.

[Action]

The main controller 1 is placed near the operator's hand, and commands are input by operating switches or the like. The first control signal corresponding to the command is transmitted to the sub controllers 2A and 2B at high speed via the main bus 3. Upon receiving the first control signal, the sub-controllers 2A and 2B send a reception confirmation signal to the main controller 1. When the main controller 1 receives the reception confirmation signal, it performs other work such as switching the AV line and displaying. The sub-controllers 2A and 2B convert the first control signal into a second control signal corresponding to AV equipment,
This second control signal is supplied to the AV devices 5-10 via the local buses 4A-4F. The second control signal may be a low speed signal having an existing format,
As the AV devices 5 to 10, existing devices with a remote control function can be used.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a main controller placed near an operator, and the main controller 1 comprises an AV controller 11, an operation switch group 12 and a display unit 13. A
The V controller 11 is composed of a microcomputer,
Commands such as selection of a device to be controlled (target) and control of operation of the selected device are input to the AV controller 11 by operating a predetermined key in the operation switch group 12 or a slide volume. Further, the display unit 13 displays the contents of the command input to the AV controller 11, messages related to the operation method of the main controller 1, and the like.

Reference numerals 2A and 2B represent sub-controllers as repeaters. Each of the sub-controllers 2A and 2B has a microcomputer, and is connected to the AV controller 11 of the main controller 1 through the bidirectional main bus 3. Sub controller 2A
A tape deck 5, a VTR 6, a monitor television 7, and a television tuner 8 are connected to the computer via local buses 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, respectively. The VTR 9 and the laser disk 10 are connected to the sub controller 2B via local buses 4E and 4F. The local buses 4A to 4F are cables for transmitting unidirectional buses, for example, serial pulse signals. Upon receiving the main control signal from the main controller 1, the sub controllers 2A and 2B receive the main controller 1
A reception confirmation signal is returned to the main bus 3 via the main bus 3. When the main controller 1 receives this reception confirmation signal, it starts the next work.

In the sub controllers 2A and 2B, the main control signal is a sub control signal (remote control signal) of a predetermined format.
Is transcoded to. This remote control signal is, for example, a serial pulse signal having a low transmission rate,
It has the same format as the remote control signal when the tape deck 5, VTR 6 etc. are individually controlled by a dedicated commander. The sub-controllers 2A and 2B do not necessarily need to generate remote control signals of the same format, but the remote control signals generated by the sub-controllers need to have the same format.

It should be noted that FIG. 1 shows a control signal path, and illustrations of lines for transmitting audio signals, lines for transmitting video signals, switch circuits for switching and connecting these lines, etc. are omitted.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the transmission waveform of the main control signal transmitted through the main bus 3. The main control signal has a structure of one frame defined by the guide pulse, and a 4-bit address is inserted at the beginning of one frame, and 7-bit data is inserted after the address. The address indicates the target device, and the data corresponds to the control content.

As shown in the enlarged view, the guide pulse has a pulse width sufficiently wider than the address and data period T1 or T0. "1" of the address and data is a waveform in which the high-level data bit on time Ton1 having a width twice the Toff is located after the low-level data bit off time Toff. Further, “0” of the address and the data is a waveform in which the high level data bit on time Ton2 having the same width as Toff is located after the data bit off time Toff.

The main control signal having such a waveform is sampled on the receiving side as indicated by white dots in the enlarged view, and "1" and "0" of the address and data are decoded. The transmission waveform shown in FIG. 2 is, for example, a local bus.
It can be similar to the transmission waveform of the remote control signal transmitted through 4A to 4F. However, the time of one frame of the main control signal is sufficiently shorter (for example, 1/10) than the length of one frame of the remote control signal, and the main control signal is transmitted at high speed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a series of control operations are performed as described below.

The AV controller 11 of the main controller 1 decodes the command input from the operation switch group 12, and the content of the command is displayed on the display unit 13.

The AV controller 11 determines the sub controller (2A or 2B) to which the control target device is connected, and sends the main control signal to the sub controller via the main bus 3.

Each of the microcomputers of the sub-controllers 2A and 2B monitors the signal of the main bus 3, and when it recognizes the signal coming to itself, the AV controller 11 of the main controller 1
A reception confirmation signal is returned to.

Upon receiving the reception confirmation signal, the AV controller 11 starts the next work regardless of the sub controller. For example, a main control signal is sent to another device, an audio line or a video line is switched, status management and the like are performed. If the reception confirmation signal does not come back, the main control signal is sent again.

On the other hand, the sub controller (2A or 2B) converts the received main control signal into a remote control signal compatible with the existing AV equipment, and transmits this remote control signal to the target equipment via the local buses 4A to 4F.

When the transmission of the remote control signal is completed, the sub controller starts monitoring the main bus 3 again.

The main controller 1 itself may have a function of converting a main control signal into a remote control signal, and the AV device may be maintained for the main controller 1.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, when the main control signal is transmitted at high speed between the main controller and the sub controller and reception confirmation is made, the main controller can perform other tasks such as line switching and status management. . Therefore, according to the present invention, a large number of AV devices can be controlled at high speed and intensively. Further, since the sub controller controls the target device by the low speed remote control signal of the existing format, the present invention has an advantage that it is not necessary to modify the existing AV device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram of an example of a transmission waveform of a main control signal to which the present invention can be applied. Description of main symbols in the drawings 1: Main controller, 2A, 2B: Sub controller, 3: Main bus, 4A to 4F: Local bus, 11: AV controller, 12: Operation switch group.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A main controller, a sub-controller connected to the main controller via a main bus, and an electronic device connected to the sub-controller via a local bus. Is configured to decode the command of (1), transmit a first control signal corresponding to the command to the sub controller via the main bus, and receive a reception confirmation signal from the sub controller. When receiving the first control signal, the sub controller sends the reception confirmation signal to the main controller, and converts the first control signal into a second control signal corresponding to the electronic device. , The second control signal via the local bus, the electronic device Control system for an electronic apparatus, characterized in that it is configured to transmit.