Remote control transmitter and receiver for use with a television receiver

A remote control transmitter comprising

• a. a plurality of key switches, each key switch having a first terminal and a second terminal and operable to make electrical contact between said first and second terminals;
• b. a diode matrix having a plurality of input lines equal in number to the plurality of said key switches and a plurality of output lines equal in number to the number of binary digits required to uniquely identify each input line, each of said input lines being connected to the second terminal of one of said key switches;
• c. a digital clock for producing a master clock signal and a pulse gating signal;
• d. sequential gating means connected to the output lines of said diode matrix and to said digital clock for converting parallel binary coded signals on the output lines of said diode matrix into serial binary coded pulses;
• e. a light source;
• f. A first electrooptical transducer for receiving light energy from said light source and converting it into electrical energy;
• g. a rotatable disc interposed between said light source and said electrooptical transducer, said disc having spaced transparent and opaque regions for alternately passing and interrupting light from said light source to said electrooptical transducer upon rotation of said disc;
• h. a monostable multivibrator connected to said first electrooptical transducer for generating incrementing pulses of predetermined duration, one incrementing pulse being generated each time said disc is rotated an amount equal to one transparent portion and one opaque portion;
• i. a second electrooptical transducer for converting electrical energy into light energy for transmission to a receiver;
• j. driver means for said second electrooptical transducer connected to said sequential gating means, to said monostable multivibrator, and to said digital clock for pulse energizing said second electrooptical transducer at said master clock frequency in accordance with said serial binary coded pulses and said incrementing pulses.

A receiver for use with a remote control transmitter of the kind wherein digitally encoded pulses are utilized to select functions to be proportionally controlled and incrementing pulses are utilized to proportionally adjust the level of selected functions, said receiver comprising:

• means for receiving digitally encoded pulses and incrementing pulses from a remote transmitter;
• means for discriminating between digitally encoded pulses and incrementing pulses;
• means for converting digitally encoded pulses into parallel digital signals;
• a plurality of digital counters, one for each function to be proportionally controlled;
• digital-to-analog conversion means for producing an analog control voltage proportional to the digital count in each of said digital counters;
• means for decoding said parallel digital signals to selectively activate said digital counters;
• and
• means for gating incrementing pulses to said digital counters;
• whereby the digital count in said activated digital counter is incremented.