Television remote control system for selectively controlling external apparatus through the AC power line
AssigneeRCA Corporation
InventorsChristopher P. Kocher, Abe Abramovich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A remote control system utilizes a portion of television receiver system to control an external appliance through the AC power supply line. The user enters an appliance control command into the keyboard of the television remote control unit. Inside the television receiver, the appliance control command is encoded and modulated onto a carrier signal which is transmitted on the AC power supply line. An external appliance control module, also connected to the AC power supply line, is located near the external appliance for detecting the encoded appliance control command and for selectively controlling the AC power supplied to the external appliance.
Claims19
In a remote control television system including a remote control unit having a transmitter means for transmitting a carrier signal, keyboard means for entering data, and encoder means for modulating said carrier signal in accordance with said entered data, and further including a television receiver having receiving means for receiving said carrier signal, decoding means for demodulating said entered data, and television function control means coupled to said decoding means for controlling various functions of said television receiver in response to a first predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, the improvement comprising:
- appliance control means coupled to said decoding means for generating an appliance control signal in response to a second predetermined type of data received from said decoding means;
- and
- alternating current line modulator means coupled to an alternating current power supply line for applying an encoded signal representative of said appliance control signal to said alternating current power supply line.
In a remote control television system including a remote control unit having a transmitter means for transmitting a carrier signal, keyboard means for entering data, and encoder means for modulating said carrier signal in accordance with said entered data, and further including a television receiver having receiving means for receiving said carrier signal, decoding means for demodulating said entered data, and television function control means coupled to said decoding means for controlling various functions of said television receiver in response to a first predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, the improvement comprising:
- control means coupled to said decoding means for generating an output signal in response to a second predetermined type of data received from said decoding means;
- encoder means responsive to said output signal of said control means for generating a sequential digital data signal representative of said second predetermined type of data;
- and
- ultrasonic transmitter means responsive to said encoder means for generating an encoded ultrasonic signal representative of said sequential data signal.
In a television receiver including keyboard means for entering data, decoding means for demodulating said entered data, and television function control means coupled to said decoding means for controlling various functions of said television receiver in response to a first predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, the improvement comprising:
- means for coupling a plurality of external lines to said television receiver;
- external line selection means coupled to said decoding means for generating an external line selection signal in response to a second predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, said second predetermined type of data being characterized by a number having a first digit corresponding to an unused selected television channel and having at least a second digit corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of external lines;
- mode control means included in said external line selection means for detecting when said data received from said decoding means represents said number corresponding to said unused selected television channel;
- and
- means coupled to said coupling means for selecting one of said plurality of external lines in accordance with said second digit in response to said external line selection signal.
In a television receiver including keyboard means for entering data, decoding means for demodulating said entered data, and television function control means coupled to said decoding means for controlling various functions of said television receiver in response to a first predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, the improvement comprising:
- external apparatus selection means coupled to said decoding means for generating an external apparatus selection signal in response to a second predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, said second predetermined type of data being characterized by a number having at least one digit corresponding to an unused selected television channel;
- mode control means included in said external apparatus selection means for detecting when said data received from said decoding means represents said number corresponding to said unused selected television channel;
- and
- line modulator means coupled to a line external to said television receiver for applying to said external line an encoded signal responsive to said external apparatus selection signal.
In a remote control television system including a remote control unit having a transmitter means for transmitting a carrier signal, keyboard means for entering data, and encoder means for modulating said carrier signal in accordance with said entered data, and further including a television receiver having receiving means for receiving said carrier signal, decoding means for demodulating said entered data, and television function control means coupled to said decoding means for controlling various functions of said television receiver in response to a first predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, the improvement comprising:
- external apparatus control means coupled to said decoding means for generating an external apparatus control signal in response to a second predetermined type of data received from said decoding means, said second predetermined type of data being characterized by a number having at least one digit corresponding to an unused selected television channel;
- mode control means included in said external apparatus control means for detecting when said data received from said decoding means represents said number corresponding to said unused selected television channel;
- and
- line modulator means coupled to a line external to said television receiver for applying to said external line an encoded signal responsive to said external apparatus control signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.