Remote control apparatus and method
AssigneeThomson Licensing
InventorsMichael Kelly Perdue, Lori Rene Bolduc, James Alan Strothmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for providing remote control capability involves transmitting IR and RF signals in a time multiplexed manner. The present apparatus comprises an input device, an IR signal transmitter, a RF signal transmitter and a controller operatively coupled to the input device, the IR signal transmitter and the RF signal transmitter. The controller generates and applies the IR and RF signals to the respective signal transmitters in time multiplexed manner. The IR and RF signals may be transmitted using different protocols without significantly increasing the computing capacity of the controller as compared to a controller of a remote control device which transmits only one type of remote control signal.
Claims15
A remote control apparatus, comprising:
- an input device for receiving an input from a user;
- a first signal transmitter;
- a second signal transmitter;
- a controller operatively coupled to said input device, said first signal transmitter and said second signal transmitter, said controller, in response to a user input, causing said first signal transmitter to transmit a first remote control signal comprising an alternating sequence of transmit intervals and pause intervals and causing said second signal transmitter to transmit a second remote control signal during said pause intervals of said first control signal, to thereby provide an output comprising an alternating sequence comprising first remote control signal transmit intervals and second remote control signal intervals.
A method for transmitting remote control signals, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a user input;
- and
- transmitting in response to the user input a first remote control signal comprising an alternating sequence of transmitting intervals and pause intervals using a first signals transmitter;
- and
- transmitting a second remote control signal during the pause intervals of the first remote control signal, to thereby provide an output comprising an alternating sequence of first remote control signal transmitting intervals and second remote control signal intervals.
A remote control system, comprising:
- a first signal receiver adapted to receive a first remote control signal formatted in accordance with a first signal format comprising an alternating sequence of transmit intervals and pause intervals;
- a second signal receiver adapted to receive a second remote control signal formatted in accordance with a second signal format, said second remote control signal being transmitted during said pause intervals of said first remote control signal, whereby the received signal comprises an alternating sequence of first remote control signal transmit intervals and second remote control signal intervals;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to said first and second signal receivers, said controller decoding and processing said first remote control signal in accordance with said first signal format upon receiving said first remote control signal, and decoding and processing said second remote control signal in accordance with said second signal format upon receiving said second remote control signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.