US 4,056,808 AGranted

Ultrasonic remote control receiver suitable for TV receiver

AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated

InventorJean Pierre Benhamou

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Abstract

Ultrasonic remote control receiver wherein reference frequency pulses are counted during a counting cycle comprising a predetermined number of received command signals, each command signal occupying a different frequency channel. At the end of each counting cycle, the reference frequency count is compared with the count during the preceding counting cycle. A validated output from the receiver occurs only after a predetermined number of uninterrupted identical comparisons have occurred. Interference with a validated output signal by spurious received signals e.g. noise signals is minimized by providing for invalidation of an output signal only after a predetermined number of uninterrupted non-identical count comparisons. Two of the receiver outputs are used to generate a variable duty cycle pulse train, one output increasing and the other decreasing the duty cycle. A receiver is disclosed in the context of a TV broadcast receiver wherein the variable level d.c. control signal is used to control an electronic sound attenuator. The remote control receiver also includes power-on-reset and mute functions. Each of the remote control receiver outputs has a parallel connected manual switch, to some of which anti-bounce circuits are connected.

Claims16

Dependent claims

Remote control receiver for receiving continuous wave command signal pulses of different operating frequencies in individual signal channels within a selected frequency range;

said receiver having an individual output for each signal channel;
means for dividing the frequency of received command signal pulses by a predetermined factor to produce sequence control pulses;
sequence generator means responsive to each sequence control pulse resulting from reception of a command signal within the selected frequency range to initiate a new counting cycle;
reference frequency counter means for counting in each of said counting cycles reference frequency pulses having a frequency significantly higher than command signals in said selected frequency range;
said command signal pulses in each channel giving rise to a different predetermined count of said reference frequency counter means during a counting cycle;
storage means for storing the count of the reference frequency counter reached during a counting cycle;
comparator circuit means for comparing at the end of each said counting cycle the count of said reference frequency counter means with the existing count stored by said storage means and for producing a first signal indicating identity between such counts and a second signal indicating non-identity between said counts;
second and third counter means;
means for applying said first signals as count inputs to said second counter means and as clear inputs to said third counter means;
means for applying said second signals as count inputs to said third counter means and as clear inputs to said second counter means;
decoder circuit means connected for receiving the count stored by said storage means to generage an output signal at an output of said receiver determined by said count;
validation means selectively actuable to transfer the count of said storage means to said decoder circuit means;
means responsive to a predetermined count of said second counter means to activate said validation means and means responsive only to a different predetermined count of said third counter means to inactivate said validation means.

10 more elements

In a television broadcast receiver, a remote control receiver for receiving continuous wave command signal pulses of different operating frequencies in individual signal channels within a selected frequency range;

said receiver having an individual output for each signal channel;
means for dividing the frequency of received command signal pulses by predetermined factor to produce sequence control pulses;
sequence generator means responsive to each sequence control pulse resulting from reception of a command signal within the selected frequency range to initiate a new counting cycle;
reference frequency counter means for counting in each of said counting cycles reference frequency pulses having a frequency significantly higher than command signals in said selected frequency range;
said command signal pulses in each channel giving rise to a different predetermined count of said reference frequency counter means during a counting cycle;
storage means for storing the count of the reference frequency counter reached during a counting cycle;
comparator circuit means for comparing at the end of each said counting cycle the count of said reference frequency counter means with the existing count stored by said storage means and for producing a first signal indicating identity between such counts and a second indicating non-identity between such counts;
second and third counter means;
means for applying said first signals as count inputs to said second counter means and as clear inputs to said third counter means;
means for applying said second signals as count inputs to said third counter means and as clear inputs to said second counter means;
decoder circuit means connected for receiving the count stored by said storage means to generate an output signal at an output of said receiver determined by said count;
validation means selectively actuable to transfer the count of said storage means to said decoder circuit means;
means responsive to a predetermined count of said second counter means to activate said validation means and means responsive only to a different predetermined count of said third counter means to inactivate said validation means;
said broadcast receiver further including manually operable switch means connected in parallel with individual ones of said remote control receiver outputs for operation to produce an output signal thereat.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.